Mexico
Communications:
Pratique
General Information for Mexico
Geo-political:
Capital City: Mexico City.
Nationality: (noun) Mexican, (adjective) Mexican.
Population: 111,211,789.
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 52.
Number of Internal Airports: 246.
Major Languages Spoken: Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified
0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional
languages (2005).
Economy:
Currency: 1 Mexican Peso (MXN) of 100 Centavos.
Exchange Rates:
(as of October 2017)
USD 1.00 = MXN 18.22
MXN 1.00 = USD 0.05
Exchange rates under licence from
XE.com
Main Industries: Food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles,
clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables and tourism.
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Other Maritime Claims: Contiguous Zone: 24 n.m. Continental Shelf: 200 n.m. or to the edge of the continental
margin. Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 n.m.
Coastline Extent: 9,330 km.
Climate: Varies from tropical to desert.
Natural Resources: Petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas and timber.
Natural Hazards: Tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the centre
and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts.
Terrain: High, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert.
Average Temperatures:
| Month | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| January | 19° C | 6° C |
| June | 24° C | 12° C |
| September | 22° C | 11° C |
CHARTS:
Charts and nautical publications available from Direccion General Adjunta de Oceanografia,
Hidrografia y Meteorologia (DIGAOHM), the hydrographic section of the Mexican Navy.
DOCUMENTS:
Individual ports operate a Sistema Puerto Sin Papeles (PSP), a web-based system for
the submission of pre-arrival information and documentation. Access to the port’s
PSP is possible through its website, and is available to registered users only.
| Port | PSP Website |
|---|---|
| Altamira | psp.puertoaltamira.com.mx/php/ser/?tCodSeccion=01.03 |
| Dos Bocas | sop.puertocoatzacoalcos.com.mx:8081/SOP3/ |
| Coatzacoalcos | www.mediport.com.mx |
| Ensenada | psp.puertoensenada.com.mx/apl/sist/sist-inse/inicio-de-sesion/ |
| Guaymas | sop.puertodeguaymas.com.mx/sop/ |
| Lazaro Cardenas | sop.apilazaro.com.mx/sop/ |
| Manzanillo | www.puertosinpapeles.com.mx/php/ser/?tCodSeccion=1.1 |
| Mazatlan | www.mediport.com.mx |
| Progreso | www.sparp.com.mx/sparp/Default.aspx |
| Puerto Madero | www.puertochiapas.com.mx/sop_/ |
| Puerto Vallarta | www.puertodevallarta.com.mx/sop/ |
| Salina Cruz | www.apisalinacruz.com.mx:8088/sop/ |
| Tampico | www.mediport.com.mx |
| Topolobampo | www.puertotopolobampo.com.mx/sop/ |
| Tuxpan | sop.puertotuxpan.com.mx/ |
| Veracruz | www.mediport.com.mx |
PRATIQUE:
The Pan American Sanitary Code:
Established by the signatory governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela, being desirous of
entering into a sanitary convention for the purpose of better promoting and protecting
the public health of their respective nations, and particularly to the end that effective
cooperative international measures may be applied for the prevention of the international
spread of the communicable infections of human beings and to facilitate international
commerce and communication.
Full details available from the Pan American Health Organization website.
www.paho.org/
Bills of Health:
- The Master of any vessel or aircraft which proceeds to a port of any of the signatory governments is required to obtain at the port of departure and ports of call, a Bill of Health, in duplicate, issued in accordance with the information set forth in the appendix and adopted as the standard Bill of Health.
- The Bill of Health will be accompanied by a list of the passengers, and stowaways, if any, which shall indicate the port where they embarked and the port to which they are destined, and a list of the crew.
- Consuls and other officials signing or countersigning Bills of Health should keep themselves accurately informed with respect to the sanitary conditions of the ports, and the manner in which this code is obeyed by vessels and their passengers and crews while therein. They should have accurate knowledge of local mortality and morbidity, and of sanitary conditions which may affect vessels in port. To this end, they shall be furnished with any information they request pertaining to sanitary records, harbours, and vessels.
- The signatory governments may assign medical or sanitary officers as public health attaches to embassies or legations, and as representatives to international conferences.
- If at the port of departure there is no consul or consular agent of the country of destination, the Bill of Health may be issued by the consul or consular agent of a friendly government authorised to issue such Bill of Health.
- The Bill of Health should be issued not to exceed 48 hours before the departure of the ship to which it is issued. The sanitary visa should not be given more than 24 hours before departure.
- Any erasure or alteration of a Bill of Health shall invalidate the document, unless such alteration or erasure shall be made by competent authority, and notation thereof appropriately made.
- A clean Bill of Health is one which shows the complete absence in the port of departure of cholera, yellow fever, plague, typhus fever, or of other pestilential disease in severe epidemic form, liable to be transported by international commerce. Provided that the presence only of bona fide imported cases of such disease, when properly isolated, shall not compel the issuance of a foul Bill of Health, but notation of the presence of such cases will be made under the heading of ``Remarks'' on the Bill of Health.
- A foul Bill of Health is one which shows the presence of non-imported cases of any of the diseases referred to in 8. above.
- Specific Bills of Health are not required of vessels which, by reason of accident, storm or other emergency condition, including wireless change of itinerary, are obliged to put into ports other than their original destinations, but such vessels shall be required to exhibit such Bills of Health as they possess.
- It shall be the duty of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to publish appropriate information which may be distributed by port health officers, for the purpose of instructing owners, agents, and Masters of vessels as to the methods which should be put in force by them for the prevention of the international spread of disease.
Other Sanitary Documents:
Every vessel, carrying a medical officer, will maintain a sanitary log which will
be kept by him, and he will record therein daily: the sanitary condition of the vessel,
and its passengers and crew; a record showing the names of passengers and crew which
have been vaccinated by him; name, age, nationality, home address, occupation and
nature of illness or injury of all passengers and crew treated during the voyage;
the source and sanitary quality of the drinking water of the vessel, the place where
taken on board, and the method in use on board for its purification; sanitary conditions
observed in ports visited during the voyage; the measures taken to prevent the ingress
and egress of rodents to and from the vessel; and the measures which have been taken
to protect the passengers and crew against mosquitoes, other insects, and vermin.
The sanitary log will be signed by the Master and medical officer of the vessel, and
will be exhibited upon the request of any sanitary or consular officer.
In the absence of a medical officer, the Master shall record the above information
in the log of the vessel, insofar as possible.
Equal or similar forms for Quarantine Declarations, Certificates of Fumigation, and
Certificates of Vaccination, set forth in the appendix (not reproduced), are hereby
adopted as standard forms.
TIME:
Eastern Standard Time Zone: GMT minus 5 hrs. throughout; daylight saving time not
observed. The state of Quintana Roo is the only state in Mexico to observe Eastern
Standard Time.
Central Time Zone: GMT minus 6 hrs. in winter, GMT minus 5 hrs. in summer. The following
states are included in the Central Time Zone Aguascalientes, Campeche, Chiapas, Coahuila,
Colima, Distrito Federal, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico,
Michoacan, Morelos, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco,
Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan, and Zacatecas.
Mountain Time Zone: GMT minus 7 hrs. in winter, GMT minus 6 hrs. in summer. The following
states are included in the Mountain Time Zone Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Nayarit,
Sinaloa and Sonora
1. The state of Sonora GMT minus 7 hrs. all year.
Pacific Time Zone: GMT minus 8 hrs. in winter, GMT minus 7 hrs. in summer. Baja California
Norte and Guadalupe are included in the Pacific Time Zone.
1 Daylight saving time not observed.
HOLIDAYS:
1 January (New Year's Day); 6 January (Three King's Day); 5 February (Dia de la Constitucion);
21 March (Natalicio de Benito Juarez); Maundy Thursday; Good Friday; Easter Sunday;
1 May (Labour Day); 5 May (Cinco de Mayo); 16 September (Mexican Independence Day);
12 October; 1–2 November (Day of the Dead); 20 November (Revolution Day); 12 December
(Our Lady of Guadalupe's Day); 24 December (Christmas Eve); 25 December (Christmas
Day).
WEATHER/TIDES:
The hurricane season in Mexico normally runs from June to November and can affect
both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Monitor local and international weather updates
from the US National Hurricane Center.
www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Also see
General
TELEPHONES:
Telephone numbers in Mexico are made of ten digits with either two-digit or three-digit
area codes
The following prefixes are used when making a telephone call in Mexico:
| Prefix | Use | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 00 | International direct dialling | 00 + CC + AC + PN |
| 01 | Domestic direct dialling | 01 + AC + PN |
| 02 | Domestic operator dialling | 02 + AC + PN |
| 09 | International operator dialling | 09 + CC + AC + PN |
| 044 | Local mobile from a land line | 044 + AC + PN |
| Mobile to mobile (local and national) | AC + PN | |
| 045 | National mobile from a land line | 045 + AC + PN |
CC - Country code
AC - Area code
PN - Phone number
To reach a Mexican telephone number from another country, you must dial the international
access code of the country you are calling from, followed by the national code for
Mexico (52) + area code + phone number.
To call a Mexican registered mobile telephone from outside Mexico, you must dial the
international access code of the country you are calling from, followed by the national
code for Mexico (52) + 1 + area code + phone number; the prefix 044 or 045 is omitted.
CUSTOMS:
Contact details of local maritime Customs available at
www.aduanas.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2010/mapa/nuevo_mapa.htm
Also see
General
SHORE LEAVE:
Street crime in Mexico is a serious problem throughout all the major cities, including
in the tourist resort areas. Dress down and avoid wearing expensive jewellery or watches.
Be particularly alert on public transport, at airports, bus stations and tourist sites.
Passengers have been robbed and/or assaulted by unlicensed taxi drivers, particularly
in Mexico City. At airports, use only authorised prepaid airport taxi services.
Theft on buses is also common; only use them during daylight hours and then only first-class
buses if possible. You should stay alert and keep an eye on your belongings when travelling
by bus.
Exercise caution when withdrawing money from ATMs or exchanging money at a Bureau
de Change; it is safer to use ATMs only during daylight hours and inside shops or
malls. Avoid ATMs when they are being refilled, as there has been an increase in the
number of armed robberies during these transactions. You are advised to limit the
amount of cash or credit/debit cards you carry with you, given the risk of theft and/or
“express kidnapping” (where victims are required to withdraw money from a cash point
in order to obtain their release).
Be wary of persons presenting themselves as police officers attempting to fine or
arrest you for no apparent reason. There have been instances of visitors becoming
victims of theft, extortion or sexual assault by persons who may or may not be police
officers. When in doubt, ask for identification and if possible note the officer's
name, badge number, and patrol car number.
Exercise caution when accepting food, drinks or rides from strangers. Do not leave
your food and drinks unattended in bars and restaurants. Cases of travellers being
robbed or assaulted after being drugged have been reported.
Serious Violence:
Drug-related violence in Mexico has increased over recent years.
Drug-related violence is concentrated in specific areas in Mexico and some regions
are almost completely spared. Many fatalities are suspected gang members killed in
turf wars between the different organisations that compete for control of trafficking
routes into the US. Drug-related violence is a particular problem in the states of
Baja California (Norte), Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacan,
Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Tamaulipas. There has been an increase over
the past 12 months in the number of crimes, murders, firefights and roadblocks linked
to drug turf wars, including in areas away from the US border. The security situation
is fluid and armed clashes between security forces and drug groups are commonplace
in certain areas, and can occur at any time without warning.
Also see
General
IDENTIFICATION CARDS:
The police sometimes ask foreigners to show some form of identification. You may wish
to carry photocopies of the relevant pages of your passport and important documents
and leave the originals in a safe place.
Also see
General
GENERAL:
Information obtained from UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office website. Updates available
from
www.gov.uk/fco/
AUTHORITY:
Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Direccion General de Puertos, Boulevard
Adolfo Lopez Mateos, No. 119, Piso 7, Col Los Alpes Tlacopac, Deleg Alvaro Obregon,
CP 01010 Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
http://www.sct.gob.mx
