México Lindo...
Map of Mexico. ...back to my home page...
Source: The information was extracted from the Grolier Encyclopedia CD-ROM.

Contents

  • General Description of México
  • Land and Resources
  • Fact and Figures
  • Travelling to Mexico
  • Mexico City

    • General Description of México

     Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country and the second-largest Roman Catholic nation in the world. It extends from the 14th to the 32d parallel north of the equator in southern North America. The United States borders Mexico on the north, while Guatemala and Belize are found on the southeast, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea on the east, and the Pacific Ocean on the west and south.

    The country's name is taken from the Mexica, one of seven Nahuatl tribes that inhabit the central region of the country. Ancient Native American civilizations--including those of the MAYA, OLMEC, ZAPOTEC, MIXTEC, TOLTEC, and AZTEC--flourished there for centuries before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Under the Spaniards, Mexico became the Viceroyalty of NEW SPAIN. It was ruled as a colony for more than 300 years and gained independence on Oct. 4, 1824.

    Political strife, anarchy and war marked the next half century. This period brought war with the United States in 1846 and the loss of what is now Texas, followed in 1848 by the cession of lands included in the present U.S. states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, and California. In the late 1800s, dictator Porfirio DIAZ brought a long period of stability and development by foreign interests. The 1910 Revolution signaled the beginning of a period of dramatic social change that led to the creation of the Constitution of 1917, which remains in force.

    President Lazaro CARDENAS achieved widespread land reform and nationalization of the country's basic industries in the l930s. Although Mexican industry expanded substantially between 1940 and l980, rapid population growth prevented millions of Mexicans from escaping the chains of poverty. After 1980 a recessionary world economy slowed progress.

    Land and Resources

     Mexico is mostly mountainous. The volcano Orizaba, located near Puebla in a chain of mountains called the Transverse Volcanic Sierra, is Mexico's highest mountain, with an elevation of 5,747m. This sierra extends east-west across Mexico to the north of Mexico City, the country's capital, and includes the spectacular volcanoes POPOCATEPETL (5,452m), IXTACIHUATL (5,386m) and PARICUTIN (2,774m), the last born only in 1943.

    Landforms

    The two main mountain ranges to the north of Mexico City run north and south; they are southward continuations of the Rocky Mountains. These are the Sierra Madre Occidental in the west, with elevations exceeding 3,300m and the Sierra Madre Oriental in the east, which rises to more than 4,000m. The Mexican Plateau, covering over 40% of the country's area, sits between them. This tableland increases in elevation as one moves southward; the farther south, the cooler and rainier it becomes. The Sierra Zacatecas divides the Mexican Plateau into the dry, sparely settled Northern Mesa and the lake-dotted, densely populated Central Mesa. Coastal plains border the mountains along the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific coasts.

    Mountains along the southern Pacific coast are dominated by east-west trend lines; they are structurally related to landforms in Central America and the West Indies. These mountains are interrupted by the down-faulted lowland of the Isthmus of TEHUANTEPEC, Mexico's narrowest point. They include the rounded, worn, and ancient rocks of the Southern Sierra Madre, which descend steeply to the Pacific coast between Cape Corrientes and the Gulf of Tehuantepec. The isolated Balsas River Basin separates the volcanic zone from the Southern Sierra Madre.

    In the east the YUCATAN PENINSULA is a low limestone platform that projects northward into the Gulf of Mexico. In the southeast, between the Yucatan Peninsula and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the principal landforms are the Tabasco Plain, along the Gulf of Mexico; the Chiapas Highlands, which reach elevations of more than 2,85Om; the Chiapas Valley; the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, an eastward continuation of the Southern Sierra Madre; and a narrow coastal plain along the Pacific Ocean.

    Soils

    Mexico's most fertile soils are alluvial; they develop mainly in river valleys and along the Gulf and Pacific coastal plains. Lacustrine soils are formed on the dry beds of ancient lakes; they are common in the Bajio de Guanajuato and other basins and are also very fertile. Soils of volcanic origin are likewise generally productive. Arid soils, deficient in humus and often highly alkaline, are found in dry areas of the northern Mexican Plateau, in the Sonoran Desert, in Baja California, and in the northern Yucatan Peninsula. Rendzina soils, found in warm and humid areas underlain by limestone, dominate the northern Gulf coast plain, parts of the Balsas River Basin, and the southern Yucatan Peninsula.

    Climate

    Mexico's climate is hot and humid in the southern coastal areas but becomes increasingly arid toward the north. Temperatures decrease with increasing altitude. One of the most important features of Mexico's climate is the pronounced seasonality it experiences in rainfall distribution. The rainy season comes during the warmer half of the year, from May through October; during those months moist winds blow onto the land from the adjoining oceans and are forced to rise up over mountainous areas, creating OROGRAPHIC PRECIPITATION. Tropical cyclones add to summer rainfall. In the cooler half of the year, when the world's wind belts shift southward, the Bermuda Subtropical High dominates the climate of most of Mexico and brings clear skies with almost no precipitation.

    The wettest areas, where rainfall varies between 1,000 and 3,100mm each year, are located south of the 22nd parallel and include the mountainous, windward slopes of southern and central Mexico. Drier conditions prevail in the north. The driest areas on the Mexican Plateau receive less than 3O5mm of precipitation a year.

    Temperatures decrease with increasing altitude, giving Mexico several altitudinal temperature zones. The hottest lands (tierra caliente) are along the coastal plains, in the Balsas River Basin, and in the Chiapas Valley. Tropical crops and irrigated vegetables are common in these areas. Temperate (tierra templada) to cool (tierra fria) conditions are common over most of the Mexican Plateau. In Mexico City, which is situated at an altitude of 2,240m, July temperatures range from a low of 12 deg C to a high of 23 deg C. High mountain slopes experience even colder temperatures.

    Drainage

    The major rivers flowing to the Pacific are the Colorado, which empties into the northern end of the Gulf of California; the 724km Balsas; and the 927km Lerma-Santiago river system (the longest in Mexico), whose headwaters are diverted for use by Mexico City. The valley within which Mexico City is situated is a basin of interior drainage, and its major rivers evaporate, disappear underground, or flow into lakes.

    Vegetation and Animal

    Mexico is divided by a major biogeographic regional boundary: the imaginary line that separates the temperate and tropical floral and faunal zones. This contributes to Mexico's great biological diversity. Rain-forest vegetation predominates in the states of southeastern Mexico, especially southwestern CAMPECHE, northeastern CHIAPAS, northern TABASCO, southeastern VERACRUZ, and in the southern and eastern regions of the Yucatan Peninsula. Annual rainfall exceeds 2,000mm in these places. Coniferous and oak-tree forests predominate in humid areas at higher elevations, including the Sierra Madre Oriental, the Sierra Madre Occidental, the Sierra Madre del Sur, the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, the Transverse Volcanic Sierra, and the uplands of northern Baja California. Tropical savanna dominates much of the Yucatan Peninsula and some parts of the Pacific and Gulf coastal plains. Thorny desert thickets and dry grasslands can be found in dry areas of the Mexican Plateau, northeastern and northwestern parts of the country, and in Baja California. Mangrove swamps are common in low, muddy areas along the Gulf and Pacific coasts south of the Tropic of Cancer.

    Widely distributed fauna include deer, coyote, rabbits, skunks, badgers, pumas, bears, snakes, and many species of birds. The tropical areas are inhabited by armadillos, iguanas, tapirs, monkeys, macaws, parrots, crocodiles, and snakes.

    Resources

    Mexico has abundant petroleum resources along the Gulf coastal plain. The Reforma field of Chiapas and Tabasco states, developed since 1972, and offshore in the Gulf of Campeche, where deposits were discovered in 1978 and 1981, have made Mexico the fifth-leading exporter of oil in the world. More gas and oil fields were found in 1984, bringing Mexico's proven oil reserves to almost 66 billion barrels in 1992. Natural gas, sulfur, and salt are found with the petroleum deposits. Other minerals of commercial importance are coal and iron ore. Mexico is also the world's leading exporter of silver and an important producer of gold, copper, lead, manganese, zinc, mercury, fluorite, and salt.

    Because Mexico has so much arid territory and terrain in slope, lands suitable for farming are only about 15% of the total area while lands for grazing make up about 38%. Forests cover 25% of the land. Fish are abundant in waters off both coasts. The government in the mid-1980s worked to increase greatly the exploitation of marine resources. Many hydroelectric power sites are located along the steep edge of the Mexican Plateau.

    Facts and Figures

    Geography

    Total area: 1,972,550 km2
    Land area: 1,923,040 km2
    Land boundaries: 4,538 km; Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km
    Coastline: 9,330 km
    Climate: Varies from tropical to desert.
    Terrain: High, rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus, and desert.
    Natural resources: Crude oil, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber.
    Land use: Arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 39%; forest and woodland 24%; other 24%; includes irrigated 3%
    Environment: Subject to tsunamis along the Pacific coast and destructive earthquakes in the center and south; natural water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; deforestation; erosion widespread; desertification; serious air pollution in Mexico City and urban centers along US-Mexico border

    People

    Population: 92,380,721 (July 1992), growth rate 2.3% (1992)
    Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1992)
    Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
    Net migration rate: -1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)
    Infant mortality rate: 30 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
    Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 76 years female (1992)
    Total fertility rate: 3.3 children born/woman (1992)
    Ethnic divisions: Mestizo (Indian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, Caucasian or predominantly Caucasian 9%, other 1%
    Religions: Nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%
    Languages: Spanish; various Mayan dialects
    Literacy: 87% (male 90%, female 85%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985 est.)

    Government

    Long-form name: United Mexican States
    Type: Federal republic operating under a centralized government
    Capital: Mexico City
    Administrative divisions: 31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan, Zacatecas
    Independence: 16 September 1810 (from Spain)
    Constitution: 5 February 1917
    Legal system: Mixture of constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
    Executive branch: President, Cabinet
    Legislative branch: Bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la Union) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Camara de Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
    Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
    Suffrage: Universal and compulsory (but not enforced) at age 18
    Member of: AG (observer), CARICOM (observer) CCC, CDB, CG, EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
    Flag: Three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band

    Communications

    Railroads: 24,500 km
    Highways: 212,000 km total; 65,000 km paved, 30,000 km semipaved or cobblestone, 62,000 km rural roads (improved earth) or roads under construction, 55,000 km unimproved earth roads
    Inland waterways: 2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals
    Pipelines: crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas 13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km
    Ports: Acapulco, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Puerto Vallarta, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Veracruz
    Merchant marine: 58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 875,239 GRT/1,301,355 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 3 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off, 30 petroleum tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 1 bulk, 1 combination bulk, 4 container
    Civil air: 186 major transport aircraft
    Airports: 1,815 total, 1,505 usable; 200 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 33 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 284 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
    Telecommunications: Highly developed system with extensive radio relay links; privatized in December 1990; connected into Central America Microwave System; 6,410,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 679 AM, no FM, 238 TV, 22 shortwave; 120 domestic satellite terminals; earth stations - 4 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT

    Travelling to Mexico

     Entry Requirements: Visa not required for most foreign citizens for tourist/transit stay up to 90 days. Notarized consent from parent(s) required for children travelling alone, with one parent or in someone elses custody. (This permit is not necessary when a minor is in possession of a valid passport.) AIDS test required for permanent residence visas. For other types of travel and details, check local Embassy of Mexico.

    Country Description: Mexico has a rapidly developing economy. Luxury accommodations in major cities and resorts are widely available. Tourist facilities in more remote areas may be limited.

    Medical Facilities: Adequate medical care can be found in all major cities. Care in more remote areas is limited. Cholera is present in Mexico. However, visitors who take proper precautions with food and drink are rarely at risk. Air pollution in Mexico City is severe, especially from December to May. Air pollution plus Mexico City's high altitude is a particular medical risk for the elderly and persons with high blood pressure, anemia, and respiratory or cardiac problems. Health facilities in Mexico City are excellent. U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. In some cases, supplementary medical insurance with specific coverage abroad has proved helpful.

    Crime Information: Street crime is common, especially in urban areas. Persons driving on some Mexican roads, particularly in isolated regions, have at times been targets for robbery by bandits who operate primarily after dark. Criminals sometimes represent themselves as Mexican police or other local officials.

    Driving Information: Tourists planning to drive in Mexico may do so on a current International driver's license. Insurance is required. All vehicular traffic is restricted in Mexico City in order to reduce air pollution. The restriction is based on the last digit of the vehicle license plate. No driving on: Monday if license plate ends with 5 or 6, Tuesday if ends with 7 or 8, Wednesday if ends with 3 or 4, Thursday if ends with 1 or 2 and Friday if ends with 9 or 0. Saturday and Sunday all vehicles may be driven.

    Drug Penalties: Penalties for drug and firearm offenses are strict, and convicted offenders may expect lengthy jail sentences and fines. A permit from a Mexican consulate in the U.S. is required in order to import firearms or ammunition. Some Mexican cities have ordinances prohibiting the possession of knives or anything that might be construed as a weapon.

    Mexico City

     Mexico City Facts

    Mexico City, the capital and industrial and cultural center of Mexico, is now the world's largest city. The metropolitan area had an estimated 22.2 million inhabitants in 1990. The population of the federal district (the administrative area within which the city is located), quadrupled between 1950 and 1990. It is still growing at a rapid pace, with 2,000 newcomers arriving each day, mainly from impoverished rural areas. An estimated 50% of the city's inhabitants live as squatters in illegal dwellings.

    The present-day city was originally the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, making Mexico City the oldest capital in Latin America. The city occupies the southern portion of the Valley of Mexico at an elevation of 2,303m, and is surrounded by mountains. Because of the elevation, temperatures are cool, with a July average of 17 deg C (63 deg F) and a January average of 12 deg C (54 deg F). Average annual rainfall is 589 mm (23 in); the city suffers from periodic water shortages.

    Contemporary City

    A major expansion of industry has occurred during recent decades. More than 40,000 manufacturing concerns, many partly owned by foreign investors, have located in the area, making it the leading Mexican industrial center. These concerns, which account for more than half of the nation's industrial output and employ 60% of the manufacturing work force, engaging in food processing; automobile assembly; and the production of textiles, garments, shoes, steel, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals.

    One of Mexico City's most serious problems is severe air pollution. The Mexican government has shut down the city's large oil refinery, has prohibited new polluting industries from locating within the region, and has embarked on a program of industrial decentralization through tax incentives. The city's Metro, the subway system, opened in 1969. Although it has helped alleviate the city's severe traffic problem, over 3.5 million cars, trucks, buses, and motorcycles still emit poisonous fumes into the air. Many city residents now suffer from respiratory ailments caused by the air pollution.

    Mexico City is the hub of Mexico's transportation network. It is connected by both rail and highway to Mexico's other cities, and its airport is the major international link for the country.

    Tourism contributes significantly to its economy. Among the numerous landmarks are the National Cathedral (begun 1573), the oldest and largest in Latin America; the Basilica of Guadalupe; the National Palace (1692); the Zocalo, or main square; the Mercado Merced, the largest market in America; and the Plaza Mexico, the world's biggest bullring. The Paseo de la Reforma, a beautiful tree-lined boulevard with many colonial-period buildings and monumental traffic circles, cuts a diagonal swath across the city to Chapultepec Park. Nearby attractions include the floating gardens of Xochimilco and the pyramids at San Juan Teotihuacan.

    Mexico City is the nation's most important educational and cultural center. Close to one-quarter of the country's schools are found within the metropolitan area. Almost 240,000 students attend the National Autonomous University of Mexico (1551), located at University City. The National Museum of History and the world-famous Museum of Anthropology (1964), both in Chapultepec Park, are the major museums.

    History

    Native Americans first settled along the shores of shallow Lake Texcoco by about 1500 BC. About AD 1325, the Aztecs selected an island in the lake as the capital of their empire and named it Tenochtitlan. It was connected to the mainland by causeways. In 1521 the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes captured and razed the city, building a Spanish city in its place. The new city served as capital of that part of Spanish America extending as far south as Panama.

    During this period, the lake was drained and drainage canals built. Because much subsoil water has been pumped out, the surface soil can no longer fully support many of the old buildings, some of which are now sinking at a rate of about 100-300 mm (4-12 in) per year.

    In 1821, Mexican revolutionaries under Gen. Agustin de ITURBIDE captured Mexico City. The city was occupied by the United States in 1847 during the Mexican War and by France for four years when MAXIMILIAN, archduke of Austria, was named emperor of Mexico by Napoleon III in 1863. During the Mexican Revolution (1910-15) the city was the scene of heavy fighting. In 1968, Mexico City hosted the Olympics. Earthquakes in 1957 and 1985 caused many deaths and extensive damage.

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