World Factbook
Mexico
Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: three equal vertical bands of green (left side), white, and red; Mexico's coat of arms (an eagle with a snake in its beak, perched on a cactus) is centered in the white band meaning: green stands for hope, joy, and love; white for peace and honesty; red for hardiness, bravery, strength, and valor
Capital
name
Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico)
etymology
name may derive from one of the Nahuatl (Aztec) names for the capital city, Metztlixihtlico, which probably meant "the center of the moon;" alternatively, it may come from Mexica, the original name of the Aztec people
time zone note
Mexico has four time zones
time difference
UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
DST was permanently removed in October 2022
geographic coordinates
19 26 N, 99 08 W
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
yes
citizenship by descent only
yes
dual citizenship recognized
not specified
residency requirement for naturalization
5 years
Constitution
history
several previous; latest approved 5 February 1917
amendment process
proposed by the Congress of the Union; passage requires approval by at least two thirds of the members present and approval by a majority of the state legislatures
Country name
former
Mexican Republic, Mexican Empire
etymology
name may derive from one of the Nahuatl (Aztec) names for the capital city, Metztlixihtlico, which probably meant "the center of the moon;" alternatively, it may come from Mexica, the original name of the Aztec people
local long form
Estados Unidos Mexicanos
local short form
Mexico
conventional long form
United Mexican States
conventional short form
Mexico
Independence
16 September 1810 (declared independence from Spain); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
Legal system
civil law system with US constitutional law influence; judicial review of legislative acts
Government type
federal presidential republic
Judicial branch
note
note: in April 2021, the Mexican congress passed a judicial reform which changed 7 articles of the constitution and preceded a new Organic Law on the Judicial Branch of the Federation
highest court(s)
Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (consists of the chief justice and 11 justices and organized into civil, criminal, administrative, and labor panels) and the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (organized into the superior court, with 7 judges including the court president, and 5 regional courts, each with 3 judges)
subordinate courts
federal level includes circuit, collegiate, and unitary courts; state and district level courts
judge selection and term of office
Supreme Court justices nominated by the president of the republic and approved by two-thirds vote of the members present in the Senate; justices serve 15-year terms; Electoral Tribunal superior and regional court judges nominated by the Supreme Court and elected by two-thirds vote of members present in the Senate; superior court president elected from among its members to hold office for a 4-year term; other judges of the superior and regional courts serve staggered, 9-year terms
Executive branch
note
note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the president
chief of state
President Claudia SHEINBAUM Pardo (since 1 October 2024)
election results
2024: Claudia SHEINBAUM Pardo elected president; percent of vote - Claudia SHEINBAUM Pardo (MORENA) 59.4%, Xóchitl GÁLVEZ Ruiz (PAN) 27.9%, Jorge Álvarez MÁYNEZ (MC) 10.4%, other 2.3% 2018: Andrés Manuel LÓPEZ OBRADOR elected president; percent of vote - Andrés Manuel LÓPEZ OBRADOR (MORENA) 53.2%, Ricardo ANAYA Cortés (PAN) 22.3%, José Antonio MEADE Kuribreña (PRI) 16.4%, Jaime RODRÍGUEZ Calderón (independent) 5.2%, other 2.9% 2012: Enrique PEÑA NIETO elected president; percent of vote - Enrique PEÑA NIETO (PRI) 38.2%, Andrés Manuel LÓPEZ OBRADOR (PRD) 31.6%, Josefina Eugenia VÁZQUEZ Mota (PAN) 25.4%, other 4.8%
head of government
President Claudia SHEINBAUM Pardo (since 1 October 2024)
most recent election date
2 June 2024
election/appointment process
president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a single 6-year term
expected date of next election
2030
National holiday
Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
National color(s)
green, white, red
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
36 (28 cultural, 6 natural, 2 mixed)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Historic Mexico City (c); Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl (c); Teotihuacan (c); Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino (n); Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (n); Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley (m); Historic Puebla (c); El Tajin (c); Historic Tlacotalpan (c); Historic Oaxaca and Monte Albán (c); Palenque (c); Chichen-Itza (c); Uxmal (c); Wixárika Route through Sacred Sites to Wirikuta (Tatehuarí Huajuyé) (c)
Political parties
Citizen's Movement (Movimiento Ciudadano) or MC Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) or PRI Labor Party (Partido del Trabajo) or PT Mexican Green Ecological Party (Partido Verde Ecologista de México) or PVEM Movement for National Regeneration (Movimiento Regeneración Nacional) or MORENA National Action Party (Partido Acción Nacional) or PAN Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolución Democrática) or PRD
Legislative branch
note
note: as of the 2018 election, senators will be eligible for a second term and deputies up to 4 consecutive terms
legislature name
Congress of the Union (Congreso de la Unión)
legislative structure
bicameral
National anthem(s)
title
"Himno Nacional Mexicano" (National Anthem of Mexico)
history
adopted 1943
lyrics/music
Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA/Jaime Nuno ROCA
National symbol(s)
golden eagle, dahlia
National coat of arms
Adopted in 1968, Mexico’s coat of arms is also used as the Seal of the United Mexican States. The Mexican Golden Eagle, a national symbol, is perched on a prickly pear cactus and eats a snake. Beneath the eagle, oak and laurel leaves are joined by a ribbon in the national colors. The image symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.
Administrative divisions
32 states ( estados , singular - estado ); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Cuidad de Mexico, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan, Zacatecas
Legislative branch - lower chamber
chamber name
Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados)
term in office
3 years
number of seats
500 (all directly elected)
electoral system
mixed system
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
6/2/2024
expected date of next election
June 2027
percentage of women in chamber
50.2%
parties elected and seats per party
National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) (236); Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM) (77); National Action Party (PAN) (72); Labour Party (PT) (51); Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) (35); Citizens' Movement (MC) (27); Other (2)
Legislative branch - upper chamber
chamber name
Senate (Cámara de Senadores)
term in office
6 years
number of seats
128 (all directly elected)
electoral system
mixed system
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
6/2/2024
expected date of next election
June 2030
percentage of women in chamber
50%
parties elected and seats per party
National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) (60); National Action Party (PAN) (22); Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) (16); Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM) (14); Labour Party (PT) (9); Other (7)
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 728-1698
note
chancery
1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
telephone
[1] (202) 728-1600
consulate(s)
Albuquerque (NM), Boise (ID), Brownsville (TX), Calexico (CA), Del Rio (TX), Detroit (MI), Douglas (AZ), Eagle Pass (TX), Fresno (CA), Indianapolis (IN), Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas (NV), Little Rock (AR), Los Angeles (CA), McAllen (TX), Milwaukee (WI), New Orleans (LA), Oklahoma City (OK), Omaha (NE), Orlando (FL), Oxnard (CA), Philadelphia (PA), Portland (OR), Presidio (TX), Salt Lake City (UT), San Bernardino (CA), Santa Ana (CA), Seattle (WA), St. Paul (MN), Tucson (AZ), Yuma (AZ)
chief of mission
Ambassador Esteban MOCTEZUMA Barragán (since 20 April 2021)
consulate(s) general
Atlanta (GA), Austin (TX), Boston (MA), Chicago (IL), Dallas (TX), Denver (GA), El Paso (TX), Houston (TX), Laredo (TX), Miami (FL), New York (NY), Nogales (AZ), Phoenix (AZ), Raleigh (NC), Sacramento (CA), San Antonio (TX), San Diego (CA), San Francisco (CA), San Jose (CA), San Juan (Puerto Rico)
email address and website
mexembusa@sre.gob.mx https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/eua/index.php/en/
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
(011) 52-55-5080-2005
embassy
Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtémoc, 06500 Mexico, CDMX
telephone
(011) [52]-55-5080-2000
mailing address
8700 Mexico City Place, Washington DC 20521-8700
chief of mission
Ambassador Ronald D. JOHNSON (since 19 May 2025)
consulate(s) general
Ciudad Juárez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Matamoros, Mérida, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana
email address and website
ACSMexicoCity@state.gov https://mx.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
ACS, APEC, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CABEI, CAN (observer), Caricom (observer), CD, CDB, CE (observer), CELAC, CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-3, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-5, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, MIGA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, USMCA, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction