UNITED STATES OF AMERICA JUL in How to reach Mexico and the Caribbean countries.- Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas- United States Government agencies Language, weights, and measures.. Netherlands (Surinam) British West Indies. See Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Jamaica, Leeward and Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and British Virgin Curacao. See Netherlands West Indies. Сл 9 10 11 12 13 14 TABLES 1938 lation.- in Mexico.-- Federal District, Mexico.- crops, 1937 and 1938.- 1938.--- and 1937... energy, 1937 and 1938.. 1938.-- divisions, 1938 15 16 17 18 21 26 73 117 138 193 The series of three handbooks which make up the revised Commercial Travelers' Guide to Latin America is completed with Part III, covering Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean countries. Part I, West Coast of South America, and Part II, East Coast of South America, were published as separate volumes in 1938 and revised in 1939. Although the great area covered in the third section of the Guide has necessitated the inclusion of a much larger number of countries than in either Part I or Part II, the same care has been taken that characterized the preparation of the earlier sections. Every effort has been made to set forth the main factors of interest to travelers in this northern portion of the Latin American area. Part III was prepared in the Division of Regional Information, under supervision of Louis Domeratzky, Chief of the Division. The basic material, derived from reports submitted by the American consular officers and commercial attachés stationed in the countries discussed, has been amplified by data from supplementary sources in order to give the most recent and most complete information available. JAMES W. YOUNG, Director, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. DECEMBER 1939. BECAUSE of changing conditions, particularly by rea son of dislocations caused by the war in Europe, some of the shipping and other communication services enumerated in this publication have been suspended or modified since the data were compiled; in certain cases other services have been added. It is suggested, therefore, that travelers or firms planning a trip to Latin America obtain the latest information available at the time of arranging their itineraries. It may also be found advantageous to check with the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, either at one of its many district or cooperative offices, located in commercial centers throughout the United States, or at its principal office in the Department of Commerce, Washington, D. C., as to new trade restrictions arising from war conditions, possible changes in customs charges and regulations, and current exchange rates and regulations. Part III. MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND CARIB BEAN COUNTRIES INTRODUCTION The countries of Latin America bordering on the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico—including Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and the islands of the West Indies-are of special interest to American exporters and their traveling salesmen. This is true not only because of the close proximity of the area to the United States, but because of the long-established trade relations between the United States and those areas, which have a tendency to predispose their markets in favor of our products. While this entire region is often considered as a whole, particularly that portion of it which borders on the Caribbean Sea, it is also sometimes thought of by exporters and commercial travelers as comprising three distinct fields, namely (1) Mexico and the Central American Republics; (2) Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas; and (3) the islands of the West Indies. For purposes of convenient reference, therefore, the countries have been arranged according to this grouping and in this order. A guide to the economic development and importance of the separate groups is provided in tabular form under the caption "Summary Statistics." HOW TO REACH MEXICO AND THE CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES Mexico and Central America.—Mexico may be reached from the United States by railway, by steamer, or by airplane. Air service.—The Pan American Airways system, entering Mexico daily at Brownsville, Tex., provides stops at Mexico City, passing en route at Tampico and continuing, by connections at Guatemala City, through Central America to the Panama Canal. By connection at Mexico City, local air service is available to a number of the important Mexican commercial centers. Commercial planes from the United States west coast ports enter Mexico at Mexicali en route to the national capital, stopping at Hermosillo, Mazatlan, and Guadalajara. A third air service 1 |