Countries & Business of our fellow colleagues

Series 1 of 4The Americas

Locations Covered1. Houston & United States of America2. Mexico City, Mexico3. Monterrey, Mexico4. Guadalajara, Mexico5. San Jose, Costa Rica6. Peru, Lima7. Medellin, Colombia8. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

USA – Quick Business FactsCurrency – USD 1 = € 0.65 / MXN 10.83 / ¥ 102 / CNY

7.11Stock Market – DJIA – 12,000 , NASDAQ – 2,200Prime Rate – 6%, Mortgage Rate – 5.5%10 Most Populous Cities – New York, Los Angeles,

Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas & San Jose

Top 10 Manufacturing Companies – Exxon Mobil, General Motors, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, General Electric, Ford, Altria Group, Valero, Hewlett Packard & IBM

Top 10 Banks (Deposits) – Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Wachovia Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Citibank, Washington Mutual Bank, Sun Trust Bank, US Bank, Regions Bank, Branch Banking and Trust Company

Map of the United States

Houston, Texas – Quick FactsFourth most populous city in the USFounded in 1836, Houston is 5 Million strong2 Major Airports and largest seaport in

international tonnageHome to 21 Fortune 500 Companies & is the

Energy Capital of the WorldHouston’s Texas Medical Center is the largest

medical center in the world

Aerial View of Houston Downtown

Houston Skyline by night

Houston in pictures

Mexico – Quick Business FactsCurrency – Mexican Pesos and CentavosImports – Machinery, Steel Mill products, Electrical, Auto parts &

AircraftExports – Manufactured goods, Oil products, Silver, fruits,

vegetables, coffee & cottonNAFTA has more than tripled trade since its inception in 1994Top 10 most populous cities – Mexico City, Guadalajara, Ecatepec,

Netzahualcoyotl, Puebla, Monterrey, Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, Leon & Naucalpan

Top 10 Companies – Telefonos de Mexico, Carso Global Telecom, Grupo Financiero, Cemex, Wal-mart de Mexico, Fomento Economico Mexicano, America Movil, Grupo Carso, America Telecom & Grupo Modelo

Top 10 Banks (Deposits) – BBVA Bancomer, Banamex, Banca Serfin, Banca Bital, Banorte, Santader Mexicano, Citibank, Scotiabank Inverlat, Inbursa & Interacciones

Map of Mexico

Mexico City – Quick FactsMost populous city - 8.7 MillionFounded in 1824, it now includes 58

municipalities of Mexico State and one from Hidalgo

Amongst the oldest and largest cities in the world

Built on the ruins of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan

Third largest metropolis after Tokyo & NYCMuseum of Anthropology is one of the world's

most comprehensive natural history museums

Mexico City Aerial View Mexico City Cathedral

Mexico in pictures

Monterrey – Quick FactsFounded in 1582, it is the capital of Nuevo LeonKnown as “City of the Mountains” & “Sultan of

the North”Third largest city and center of Mexican industryMakes steel, cement, glass, auto parts & beerHome to conglomerates like Cemex, FEMSA,

Alfa, Axtel, Vitro, Selther, Gruma & BanorteMost business-friendly city in Mexico2 Airports, Railways & 35 modern industrial

parks

Monterrey in pictures

Guadalajara – Quick FactsSecond largest city in Mexico of 3 Million peopleMexico’s “Pearl of the West” is a city of

monuments, parks and flowers, fountains and tree-lined avenues

Birthplace of Mariachi Bands & Mexican Hat Dance

Big companies - Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, Compania Proveedora Ingredientes, Industrial Convertidora & Grupo Simec

Monument to the Founders

CathedralTeatro Degollado

Guadalajara in pictures

San Jose, Costa Rica – Quick FactsLocation - Central America, bordering both the Caribbean

Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama

Population – 4.2 Million, capital – San JoseEconomy mainly depends on tourism, agriculture and

electronics exportsCurrency – Colones, 1 USD = 494 CRCExports – fruits, coffee, sugar, seafood, electronic

components, medical equipmentImports – raw materials, consumer goods, petroleum,

contruction materialsTop companies - Café Britt Coffee, Rica FoodsMajor Cities – San Jose, Alajuela, Desamparodos, Liberia,

Limon, Paraiso, Puntarenas, San Francisco & San Vicente

Map of

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Costa Rica in Pictures

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Peru, Lima – Quick FactsLocated in western South America, along the Pacific

Ocean. Neighbors are Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia & Chile

Population – 28.7 Million, Capital - LimaCurrency – Peru Nuevos Soles, 1 USD = 2.86 PENExports – Metals, crude petroleum & products, coffee,

vegetables, textiles & guinea pigsImports – Petroleum products, plastics, machinery,

vehicles, iron & steel, wheat & paperTop Companies – Atento Perú, Banco de Crédito del Perú,

Cotton Knit, Hipermercado Tottus, Interbank, J&V Resguardo, Kimberly Clark Perú, Pacífico Seguros, Sodimac Perú & Telefónica Servicios Comerciales

Major Cities – Lima, Arequipa, Chiclayo, Chimbote, Cusco, Huancayo, Iquitos, Piura & Trujillo

Map of Peru

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Ruins of Machu Picchu

Medellin, Colombia – Quick FactsLocated in Northern South America. Neighbors are

Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru & EcuadorPopulation – 44 Million, Capital – BogotaCurrency – Pesos, 1 USD = 1,893 COPExports – Petroleum, coffee, minerals, clothing,

banana, flowersImports – industrial & transportation equipment,

consumer goods, chemicals, paper, fuelsTop companies – Ban Colombia, Aval Grupo, Telefónica

Móviles, Suramericana de Seguros, Quala, Colombiana Kimberly Colpapel, Wayuu Flowers, Suratep, Yanbal de Colombia, Petrobras Colombia

Top Cities – Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Pereira, Manizales, Medellin, Popayan, Santa Marta & Leticia

Map of

Colombia

Colombia in Pictures

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Quick FactsLocated in Eastern South America, along Atlantic

Ocean. Population – 190 Million, capital – BrasiliaCurrency – Reais, 1 USD = 1.69 BRLExports – Transport equipment, iron ore,

soybeans, footwear, coffee, autosImports – machinery, electrical equipment,

chemical products, oil, electronicsTop companies – Petrobras, BR Distribuidora,

Telemar, Telefonica, Ambev, Ipiranga, Volkswagen, Shell, General Motors, Brasil Telecom

Top Cities – Brasilia, Fortaleza, Manaus, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador & Sao Paulo

Map of

Brazil

Brazil in Pictures