World Affairs 2018.

PositionMexico

In the 24 pages that follow, you'll find news maps and data on the world's 196 countries--everything from languages and literacy rates to the percentage of young people in the population. To better understand the data, read the explanations accompanying the sample entry for Mexico below. On each map, you'll find photos and summaries of major news events around the world. And in our Snapshots section, you'll learn, among other things, which cities have the most Starbucks and which countries use the most wind and solar power. We hope you'll keep this issue for year-round reference and that it will help you make sense of what's going on in the world as we head into 2018.

Area & Population

Landmass in square miles and number of people. To calculate population density, divide population by area. For example, Mexico has about 170 people per square mile.

Percentage of Population Increase

The birth rate minus the death rate (without factoring in immigration) for the most recent year available.

Urban Population

The percentage of a country's population living in urban areas. Urbanization is on the rise worldwide as people move to cities in search of work.

Languages

There are nearly 7,000 languages spoken in the world. There are about 437 million native speakers of Spanish, the dominant language in Mexico.

Political System & Head of Government

Type of government and current leader. Enrique Pena Nieto became Mexico's president in 2012.

Percentage of Population Under 15

In Mexico, 27 percent of the population is under 15. Compare that with Afghanistan, where 45 percent of the population is under 15.

Literacy Rate

Percentage of people who can read and write. The first number is for men, the second for women.

Date of Origin

The year a nation was established, gained independence, or took on its modern form.

Life Expectancy

The age to which a newborn infant can expect to live. The first number is for men, the second for women.

Per Capita GDP

The value of all goods and services produced within a country in one year (gross domestic product) divided by population. It's a way to gauge a nation's wealth.

HDI (Human Development Index)

A measure of economic and social well-being on a scale of 0 to 1 (1 is the highest). HDI factors include life expectancy, education levels, and average income.

COUNTRY AREA (SQ MI) URBAN CAPITAL POP. % POPULATION POP. RISE %/YEAR Mexico 758,450 80 Mexico City 129,163,000 1.1 COUNTRY LANGUAGES POLITICAL SYSTEM & HEAD OF GOVERNMENT Mexico Spanish, Mayan, other Presidential-legislative indigenous languages democracy; President Enrique Pena Nieto COUNTRY DATE OF LITERACY PER ORIGIN RATE (%) CAPITA GDP % OF POP. LIFE NBI UNDER 15 EXPECTANCY Mexico 1810 96/94 $18,900 27 75/79 0.762 LESSON PLAN: RESEARCH SKILLS

INTERNATIONAL PAGES 14-37

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