MEXICO CITY, Sept. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao embarks on a state visit to Mexico on Sunday. The following are some basic facts about the country.

    The United Mexican States is bordered to the north by the USA, and to the south by Guatemala and Belize. The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea lie to the east, and the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California to the west.

    The country has a total area of 1,964,375 square km. According to the latest official estimates in mid-2004, it is inhabited by a population of 105,349,837. The capital is Mexico City.

    Mexico's climate varies with altitude. The tropical southern region and the coastal lowlands are hot and wet, with an average annual temperature of 18 Celsius degrees. The highlands of the central plateau are temperate.

    The principal language is Spanish, spoken by more than 90 percent of the population, while about 8 percent speak indigenous languages. Almost all of Mexico's inhabitants profess Christianity, and about 90 percent are adherents of the Roman Catholic Church.

    Mexico is a federal republic comprising 31 states and a Federal District around the capital.

    Under the 1917 Constitution, legislative power is vested in the bicameral Congress of the Union. The Senate's 128 members, four from each state and the Federal District, serve a six-year term, while the Camara Federal de Diputados, directly elected for three years, has 500 seats.

    Executive power is held by the President, directly elected for six years at the same time as the Senate. He governs with the assistance of an appointed Cabinet. The current President of Mexico is Vincente Fox.

    In 2003, according to estimates by the World Bank, Mexico's gross national income, measured at average 2001-03 prices, was 613.3 billion US dollars, equivalent to about 6,230 dollars per head. In 2004, Industry provides the largest share of the country's gross domestic product at an estimated 26.10 percent. Enditem