Geography of Mexico

Introduction to Geography of Mexico

Mexico, (Spanish: México ), or United Mexican States, a country in North America. It consists of 31 states and a federal district. The country extends southward from the United States to Guatemala and Belize in Central America. Mexico is a member of the NAFTA, a regional trading bloc that includes Canada and the United States,

The long western coast borders on the Pacific Ocean, including the Gulfs of California and Tehuantepec; the eastern coast fronts on the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, including the Bay of Campeche. In shape, Mexico roughly resembles a cornucopia (horn of plenty), with the broad mouth of the horn in the north. It tapers toward the southeast, narrowing in width to about 125 miles (200 km) at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. At each end of the cornucopia lies a great peninsula—Lower California in the northwest and Yucatan in the southeast.

Ruins of massive pyramids and other Indian structures plus scores of Spanish colonial churches and government buildings reflect Mexico's long history. Evidenced nearly everywhere is the strong imprint of Spanish culture—the result of some 300 years of colonial rule. A modern way of life is apparent in the major cities, especially Mexico City, one of the world's most populous and rapidly growing metropolises. However, life in towns and villages, particularly remote Indian villages, has remained virtually unchanged for centuries.

Physical Geography

Most of Mexico consists of rough plateaus and mountains; only about a third of the country is flat. There are five major physiographic regions: the Central Plateau, the Sierra Madres, the Chiapas Highlands, the Gulf Coastal Plain, and the Lower California–Sonoran Desert region.

Central Plateau. This vast tableland juts southward from the United States almost to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The plateau increases in height from north to south, from elevations of little more than 3,000 feet (910 m) near the United States border to more than 8,000 feet (2,440 m) above sea level at the southern end. Some parts are flat, but in many places there are hills and mountains. These sometimes occur as parallel ranges with basins between them; in other instances the highlands encircle basins.

The vast northern part of the plateau resembles the land of southern New Mexico and western Texas. It is quite dry and has few inhabitants. The southern part of the plateau has more rainfall and is more fertile. Nearly half of the people in Mexico live in this region. Mexico City is in the Valley of Mexico at the southern end of the plateau. Just south of the valley is a belt of active and dormant volcanoes that stretches almost from coast to coast. Orizaba, rising 18,855 feet (5,747 m), is Mexico's highest peak and the third highest in North America. Volcanoes in this belt that have been active in the past century include Popocatépetl and Parícutin.

Sierra Madres. This region consists of the three mountain ranges fringing the plateau's V-shaped edge. They are the Sierra Madre del Sur on the south, the Sierra Madre Occidental on the west, and the Sierra Madre Oriental on the east. The seaward slopes of the ranges are greatly eroded and often exceptionally steep. On the Pacific side the mountains often rise abruptly from sea level to heights of 10,000 to 12,000 feet (3,050 to 3,660 m). The ranges are marked by deep gorges, canyons, and knifelike ridges. In the south the Sierra Madre del Sur drops abruptly to the lowlands of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Chiapas Highlands. These rise on the opposite side of the isthmus and run southeastward to Guatemala. The region centers on a volcano-studded range, also called Sierra Madre, which forms the backbone of much of Central America. The land is high and rough, especially along the Pacific Coast. To the northeast, the mountains decline and merge with the plateau of Yucatan.

Gulf Coastal Plain. This flat to rolling, occasionally swampy, lowland runs along the eastern coast. It narrows as it extends southward from the Texas border and almost disappears, because of mountains, between Tampico and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Beyond the isthmus, the coastal plain fans out over much of Yucatan.

Lower California-Sonoran Desert. This region is a semiarid to arid area in the northwest, consisting of the peninsula of Lower California and the Sonoran Desert. The peninsula is made up of plateaus, terraces, and mountains similar to those of neighboring southern California. Peaks along the peninsula's mountainous backbone rise up to about 10,000 feet (3,050 m) above sea level in the north and 7,000 feet (2,130 m) in the south. The extremely dry Sonoran Desert, which lies east of the Gulf of California, is basin-and-range land similar to that of southwestern Arizona.

Most of Mexico's rivers are relatively short and carry little water. Virtually all are unsuitable for navigation, but some of them are important for irrigation and hydroelectric power. Two chief rivers, both in the north, are the Colorado and the Río Bravo del Norte, known as the Rio Grande in the United States. Nearly all of the rivers in the northern part of the plateau have no outlets to the sea and eventually dry up inland.

Chief rivers descending from the plateau include the Río Fuerte, Río Yaqui, and Río Grande de Santiago in the west; the Río Balsas in the south; and the Río Papaloapan and Río Pánuco in the east. Some reach the sea through deep canyons that rival the majestic Grand Canyon of the Colorado in the United States. The Río Usumacinta and Río Grijalva are the main rivers draining the Chiapas Highlands.

Numerous lagoons line the coast, the chief ones being Términos and Madre on the Gulf coast. Natural lakes are found mainly in the basins in the southern part of the plateau. The largest is Lake Chapala near Guadalajara.

Although Mexico straddles the Tropic of Cancer and lies mainly in the subtropics, it has great climatic variety, largely because of differences in altitude and latitude. Temperatures steadily decrease as altitude increases; rainfall, in general, decreases from southeast to northwest. Climates range from perpetually cold on the highest peaks to tropical rainy or dry in the lowlands.

Temperature. On the basis of temperature, Mexico is usually divided into three regions. From sea level up to about 3,000 feet (910 m) is a region known as the tierra caliente (hot country), which has tropical and subtropical climates. The tierra templada (temperate country), roughly between 3,000 and 6,000 feet (910 and 1,830 m) above sea level, is a more temperate zone, with springlike weather virtually all year. Most of Mexico's large cities are situated in or slightly above this region. Above 6,000 feet lies the cool zone, the tierra fría, which becomes progressively colder with increased elevation. On a number of volcanoes, there is a permanent cover of ice and snow at altitudes above 14,000 feet (4,270 m).

The hottest weather occurs in the north, particularly around the Gulf of California, where summer temperatures occasionally rise to more than 110° F. (43° C). The coldest winter weather, excluding high mountain areas, occurs on the plateau in the northern states, where below-freezing temperatures are frequent. Rarely does the cold weather extend as far south as Mexico City. One of the outstanding features of the climate throughout much of Mexico is the great daily range of temperatures. Days are warm to hot, but nights are chilly to cool. In Mexico City, for example, the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures is often about 25 Fahrenheit degrees (14 Celsius degrees).

Precipitation. Most of Mexico receives scant rainfall. All of northern Mexico is either arid or semiarid; some parts of the Sonoran Desert are virtually rainless. Summer is the rainiest season throughout the country, except in the extreme northwest, where winter is the rainy season.

Areas that receive substantial amounts of precipitation—40 to 100 inches (1,020 to 2,540 mm) or more each year—are the southern Pacific coast, much of the Gulf coast, the state of Chiapas, and most of the Yucatán peninsula. Hurricanes sometimes occur along the Gulf coast, mainly in late summer and early autumn.

Various types of grasses, bushes, cacti, and scrubby trees are scattered over most of Mexico. The plant cover is sparse, even nonexistent, in many of the northern and central areas, but becomes dense and lush in the rainy southern regions. About a quarter of the land is covered by forests, mainly in the southeastern lowlands and along the slopes of the Sierra Madres.

Mexico has a wide variety of animal life largely because it lies in two major zoogeographic regions (Nearctic and Neotropical). Animals found mainly in northern Mexico, which lies in the Nearctic region, include cougars, black bears, coyotes, wolves, buzzards, ducks, and woodpeckers. Animals found primarily in the Neotropical area, in southern Mexico, include monkeys, jaguars, ocelots, and parrots. Reptiles, including rattlesnakes, lizards, and iguanas, are common throughout much of the country.

Economy

Until the mid-1940's, Mexico's economy was based almost entirely on agriculture and mining. Industrialization has occurred since then. Oil, which Mexico has produced since the late 19th century, has been especially important to Mexico's economic development. Major new deposits were discovered in the 1970's. In the early 1980's oil accounted for nearly 80 per cent of all Mexican export earnings. During the late 1970's the government borrowed heavily from abroad to invest in economic development. In the early 1980's the price of oil on the world market fell dramatically, causing many problems for Mexico, including inability to repay debts, extremely high rates of inflation, and rising unemployment.

During the late 1980's and early 1990's Mexico underwent major economic changes. The government began to privatize many state-owned industries. By 1992 nearly 75 per cent of Mexico's state-owned concerns had been bought by private investors. The government also relaxed many restrictions on foreign investment, attracting more money from abroad. With increased investment, the manufacturing sector grew substantially during this period, and the country's dependence on oil lessened.

During the early 1990's, inflation and unemployment subsided and the economy expanded. Despite these gains, the standard of living throughout much of Mexico is markedly low. Prosperity for the most part is limited to a relatively small segment of the population; poverty is widespread.

Mining is very important in Mexico as the country is one of the biggest producers of silver; about one-seventh of the annual production in the world is mined in Mexico. The silver mines are located in the central regions of Mexico. Other than silver, Mexico is also a major producer of petroleum. The oil wells are mostly found in Campeche, Tabasco, and Veracruz, along the coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. The government regulates the petroleum industry. Natural gas is also produced in the country. Valuable minerals like antimony, bismuth, fluorite, and manganese are found in abundance. The steel industry of the country is supported by the large iron deposits. Electric power in Mexico comes from coal, natural gas, petroleum, hydroelectric plants, and nuclear energy. Mexico is a leading exporter of petroleum and petroleum products.

Tourism is a big source of foreign income for Mexico. Millions of tourists, most of whom are Americans, visit Mexico every year. Mexico City, the old Spanish colonial cities of central Mexico, and the ruins of Maya Indian cities on the Yucatán Peninsula are the popular tourist spots. Mexican resorts include Acapulco, Ensenada, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Zihuatanejo on the Pacific coast, and Cancun and Cozumel Island on the Caribbean coast.

Mexico is connected by airlines, highways, and railways. Buses link Mexico’s urban regions. International airports are situated in Cancún, Guadalajara, Merida, and Monterrey, but Mexico City is the most important center of international air travel. The railway network is owned by the government. Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico, and Guaymas, Manzanillo, and Mazatlán on the Pacific Ocean are the major ports.

Government

Mexico is a federal republic. It has with an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch or court system. The President heads the executive branch which formulates government policies, proposes laws, and controls the distribution of tax and revenues. There are 31 states and 1 federal district. The states have elected governors and legislature. An elected governor governs over the federal district. All citizens who attain 18 years of age are allowed to vote in the country.

The President enjoys a tremendous power in Mexico. The government is influenced by the President who introduces many pieces of legislation. The President may also use constitutional amendments to support the policies of the government. A cabinet is appointed by the President which directs government operations. The President gets a six-year term and is elected by the people. The President serves only one term of office.

Mexico’s legislature, Congress, comprises of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies. The senate consists of 128 members, each having a six-year term. The Chamber of Deputies has 500 members, 300 of them chosen from the country’s electoral districts. The rest are filled by deputies who are not representatives of any particular electoral district. The members of the Chamber of Deputies get to serve three-year terms. The members of Congress are not allowed to serve consecutive terms.

State governors who are elected by the people serve six-year terms while the state legislators get three-year terms. The states are divided into municipios (townships) which have individual presidents and councils that are elected to three-year terms. The state agencies are dependant on the national government for funds required to carry out public works projects.

Supreme Court is the highest court of justice in Mexico. Its members are appointed by the President. The members of a circuit and district court system are selected by the Supreme Court. The courts support the policies of the President. The Mexicans may protect their individual rights through an amparo (protection) procedure. The courts in such cases decide whether a law has caused unfair treatment to an individual. The defense force of Mexico comprises the army, navy, and the air force.