The Hispanic quarter
With the US population recently surpassing the 300 million mark, a growing chorus is calling for stricter controls on immigration from Mexico. Mexicans are repopulating territory that originally belonged to their home country. Which of the following is true?
A. By 2050, Hispanics are expected to account for almost 25 percent of the US population.
B. One quarter of today’s United States used to be Mexican territory.
C. About 25 percent of total US gross domestic product is generated on former Mexican territory.
D. All of the above.
D. All of the above is correct.
According to the US Census Bureau, Hispanics will account for 24.4 percent of the US population by 2050. That is an increase of almost 12 percentage points from their population share of 12.6 percent as of 2000 .
Between 1845 and 1853, the United States annexed, conquered, or was ceded by treaty 949,000 square miles of one-time Mexican territory. In other words, about one-quarter of the present-day US land area (a total of 3.8 million square miles) was once Mexican land.
The six present-day US states that were once Mexican territory -- Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico -- have a combined economic output of nearly $3.1 trillion (as of 2005), or 25 percent of the total US GDP of $12.4 trillion.
The Globalist Quiz is produced by The Globalist, a Washington based research organization that promotes awareness of world affairs. © 2006 The Globalist, theglobalist.com. 
