Mexico the country

The characteristics of Mexico’s geographical and political boundaries

With an area of approximately 1.2 million square miles, the country of Mexico holds a spectrum of geographical characteristics, and in traveling its expanse, one can quickly move from vast, arid deserts to steaming, tropical jungles, from lush wetlands rich in flora and fauna to towering, glacier-capped mountains, from rugged and wild, wind-swept coastlines to glistening, white-sanded and sun-washed beaches.

Mexico is bordered by the United States to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south (with the Sea of Cortez, or Gulf of Cailfornia to the north-west between the mainland and the Baja California peninsula), the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean to the east, and Belize and Guatemala to the south and south-east. Mexico’s border with the United States measures over 3,300 kms.

The Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental (Eastern and Western mountain ranges) run slightly inland along each coastline and define a central high plateau area in much of the country. The climate and vegetation on either side of these ranges can be quite distinct. There are many volcanic peaks in Mexico, the highest being Orizaba, at 5,639 meters or 18,500 feet, Popocatepetl, at 5,452 meters or 17,888 feet, and Ixtaccihuatl (the Sleeping Lady) at 5,286 meters or 17,343 feet, all located in the central area of the country. Active volcanos include the mentioned Popocatepetl and the Nevado de Colima in the west-coast state of Colima.

Mexico over the centuries has been home to a great many mesoamerican cultural groups and influences, some of the major ones being the Olmecs, Mayans, Zapotecs, Toltecs, Aztecs and Mixtecs. Much of these ancient cultures were destroyed by the conquests and subsequent colonization by the Spaniards as of  the 1500′s, nevertheless, the final result is a people and customs which form a rich ethnic and cultural tapestry, along with a wealth of archaeological relics and architectural marvels that span the ages.

Climate and weather conditions of Mexico

Northern Mexican States

Mexico’s northern states are Aguascalientes, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. The northern states of Mexico are variously bordered by the United States of America, the Gulf of California or Sea of Cortez, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Much of the northern states are expanses of arid desert and rugged, mineral-rich mountains.

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes | Pabellon de Arteaga | Rincon de Romos | San Marcos Fair | Ex-Haciendas	Coahuila Monclova | Pedras Negras | Torreon | Saltillo	Sinaloa Culiacan | El Fuerte | Los Mochis | Mazatlan
Baja California Norte Ensenada | Mexicali | Rosarito | Tijuana	Durango Durango | Devil’s Backbone | Zone of Silence	Sonora Bahia de Kino | Cd. Obregon | Guaymas | Hermosillo | Nogales | Navajoa
Baja California Sur Cabo San Lucas | La Paz | San Jose del Cabo	Nuevo Leon Grutas de Garcia | Los Cavazos | Monterrey | Santiago	Tamaulipas Cd. Victoria | Cd. Mante | Presa Vicente Guerrero
Chihuahua Casas Grandes | Chihuahua City | Copper Canyon | Paquimé	San Luis Potosí Cd. Valles | La Huasteca | Real de Catorce | Rio Verde | San Luis Potosí | Tamasanchale | Xilitla	Zacatecas Altavista/Chalchihuites | Fresnillo | Jerez | Sombrerete | Villanueva | Zacatecas

Central Mexican States

The Central states of Mexico include Colima, the Federal District (Mexico City and environs), Guanajato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, State of Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Puebla, Queretaro, Tlaxcala and Veracruz. Their geography is very diverse, encompassing everything from low, jungly wetlands and scorching deserts to high, central plateaus and snow-topped volcanos.

Colima Colima City | Cuyutlán | Manzanillo | Tecoman | Pascuales	Jalisco Barra de Navidad | Guadalajara | Puerto Vallarta | Tequila | Tlaquepaque & Zapopan	Puebla Puebla | Tlaxcala | Tehuacan | Cholula | Popocatepetl & Ixtaccihuatl Park
Federal District Mexico City and environs | Chapultepec | Coyoacan | Xochimilco	Mexico State Atlacomulco | Ixtapan de la Sal | Malinalco | Teotihuacan | Tepotzotlan | Toluca | Valle de Bravo	Querétaro Queretaro | San Juan del Rio | Tequisquiapan
Guanajuato Dolores Hidalgo | Guanajuato | San Miguel de Allende	Michoacan La Ticla | Morelia | Quiroga | Patzcuaro | Rio Nexpa | Sta. Clara del Cobre | Tzintzuntzan | Uruapan	Tlaxcala Apizaco | Haciendas | Tlaxcala
Guerrero Acapulco | Chilpancingo | Grutas de Cacahuamilpa | Ixtapa Zihuatanejo | Petatlán | Taxco | Troncones	Morelos Chalcatcingo | Cuernavaca | Cuautla | Jojutla | Tepoztlan | Tlayacapan | Xochicalco | Yautepec	Veracruz Cempoala | Catemaco | Coatzacoalcos | Cordoba | El Tajin | Orizaba | Papantla | Port of Veracruz | Xalapa
Hidalgo Agua Blanca | Huapolcalco | Pachuca | Tula | Tulancingo	Nayarit Guayabitos | Mexcaltitan | Nuevo Vallarta | Punta Mita | San Blas | Sayulita | Tepic

Southern Mexican States

Mexico’s southern states are Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatan. The southern states of Mexico are variously bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, Belize, Guatemala and the Pacific Ocean.

This geographical area includes the Isthmus of Tehuantepec extending from Tabasco (and the southern portion of Veracruz) in the north, holding the lush and fertile lands along the Usamacinta river, through into the jungles and highlands of Chiapas and Oaxaca in the south. The limestone expanse of the Yucatan Peninsula juts out east and northward with the Gulf of Mexico rounding its shores to the west and north, and the clear waters of the Caribbean – Mexico’s Riviera Maya – lapping along the peninsula to the east. This is a land of the Maya, the Lacandon and other natives who left a rich heritage and cultural and archaeological record and whose mysteries have only just begun to be understood.

Campeche Campeche | Champoton | Rio Bec Ruins	Oaxaca Huatulco | Mazunte | Mitla | Monte Alban | Oaxaca City | Puerto Angel | Puerto Escondido | Teotitlan del Valle	Tabasco Emiliano Zapata | La Venta | Macuspana | Villahermosa
Chiapas Chiapa de Corzo | Bonampak | Palenque | San Cristobal de las Casas | Tuxtla Gutierrez | Tapachula | Nature Reserves | Archaeological Sites	Quintana Roo Cancun | Chetumal | Cozumel | Isla Mujeres | Playa del Carmen | Tulum | Xel-Ha | Archaeological Sites	Yucatan Chichen Itza | Merida | Puerto Progreso | Rio Lagartos | Uxmal