Mexico

Geography

Mexico is a country south of the US and separates the Atlantic from the Pacific. The land has a total area of 1,964,375 km² (758,449 mi²) and a total coastline of 9,330 km (5,797.4 mi). This land area is approximately 282% of the area of Texas. Mexico is thus one of the largest countries in the Americas and the 14th biggest in the world. An exceptionally high proportion of residents (81%) belongs to the urban population.

Mexico is comparatively high at an average elevation of 1111 meters above sea level. The highest mountain peak (Citlaltépetl) is at 5,636 meters. The country has about 70 islands. There are direct national borders with the three neighboring countries Belize, Guatemala and the United States. The distance between New York City and the Capital Mexico City is about 3,370 km (2,094 mi).

The geographical classification of the country is controversial and is stated differently depending on the source. About 88 percent of Mexico's land area belongs to North America from a geographical point of view. Economically, Mexico also belongs to North America. Historically, culturally and linguistically (the national language is Spanish), however, the country is counted as part of Central or Latin America. According to the M49 standard, the United Nations counts Mexico as part of Central America.

The climate in Mexico

Due to its extensive land mass from the 15th to beyond the 32nd parallel, there are different climate regions in Mexico. Both the continental regions of the United States, as well as the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico located in the east have a significant influence on the country. It is driest and warmest in the northwest on the Baja California peninsula, with temperatures of up to 40°C. Much of the interior is shielded from the Pacific and the Caribbean by the two mountain ranges of the Sierra Madres, which means that the humid sea air is absent, creating large shrub steppes and desert areas. South of Mexico City, there is a tropical monsoon and savannah climate with lush vegetation due to the constant warm temperatures and high humidity.

• Detailed climate data for Mexico and 9 individual regions
• Volcanoes
• Earthquakes
• Tsunamis
• Hurricanes

Languages

Mother tongue	Distribution
Spanish	92.1 %
Náhuatl	1.8 %
Yucatec	1.1 %
Zapotec	0.6 %
Mixtec	0.6 %
Otomí	0.4 %
other	3.4 %

Religions

Religion	Distribution
Lutherans	5.0%
Pentecostals	1.6%
Roman Catholics	82.7%
Jehovah's Witnesses	1.4%
nondenominational	4.7%
other	4.6%

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Economy

GDP:	1,272.84 bn $
Exportations:	521.81 bn $
Importations:	544.69 bn $
› Tourism receipts:	11.45 bn $
› Debt rate:	40.67 %
› Unemployment rate:	3.3 %
› Inflation rate:	7.90 %
› Corruption index:	31 (bad)
› Energy consumption:	267.3 bn kWh

According to the definition from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mexico is a developing country because of its lower economic performance. Despite this classification, the country is currently also one of the emerging markets, i.e. countries with increasing industrialization.

In terms of revenues, Mexico ranks only 76th in the world and, with an average annual income of 9,590 USD is one of the upper middle-income countries.

Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous countries worldwide.

Land use

5% Urban areas:	102,418 km²
55% Agricultural areas:	1,078,245 km²
34% Forest:	663,762 km²
1% Water areas:	20,425 km²
6% Others:	119,949 km²

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Transport

Roadways:	704,884 km
Railways:	20,825 km
Waterways:	2,900 km
Commercial harbors:	671
› Airports:	57