resentation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jesus SILVA Herzog Flores
chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso,
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San
Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Albuquerque, Austin, Boston, Brownsville (Texas),
Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Eagle
Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Laredo, McAllen (Texas), Midland
(Texas), Nogales (Arizona), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia,
Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San Jose, Santa
Ana, Seattle

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James R. JONES
embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico,
Distrito Federal
mailing address: P. O. Box 3087, Laredo, TX 78044-3087
telephone : [52] (5) 211-0042
FAX: [52] (5) 511-9980, 208-3373
consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana
consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nuevo Laredo

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side),
white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a
snake in its beak) is centered in the white band

Economy

Economy - overview: Mexico has a free market economy with a mixture of
modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated
by the private sector. The Mexican economy enters 1997 in the midst of
an economic recovery that began to pick up steam in mid-1996. After
plummeting more than 6% in 1995 in the aftermath of the peso crisis,
economic activity in Mexico grew by an estimated 5.1% in 1996. Many
private forecasters who had scoffed at the ZEDILLO administration's 3%
growth target for 1996 are now projecting economic expansion of 4-5%
for 1997. Strong export growth continues to drive the economy; total
exports were up roughly 16% in 1996 compared to 1995. By the end of
1996, however, Mexican government statistics showed that increased
domestic consumption and investment spending were also beginning to
contribute to the recovery. Despite these positive economic trends,
structural problems and vulnerabilities remain. Low savings rates will
keep Mexico dependent on foreign capital; national savings as a share
of GDP plunged from a peak of 25% in 1983 to less than 14% in 1994.
Additionally, Mexico City is st