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Learn about Mexico, a country in North America with a rich and diverse heritage, culture and natural beauty. Find out about its history, geography, government, economy, demographics, urban areas and more from this comprehensive encyclopedia article.
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Mexico, country of southern North America and the third largest country in Latin America, after Brazil and Argentina. Mexican society is characterized by extremes of wealth and poverty, with a limited middle class wedged between an elite cadre of landowners and investors on the one hand and masses of rural and urban poor on the other. But in spite of the challenges it faces as a developing country, Mexico is one of the chief economic and political forces in Latin America. It has a dynamic industrial base, vast mineral resources, a wide-ranging service sector, and the world’s largest population of Spanish speakers—about two and a half times that of Spain or Colombia. As its official name suggests, the Estados Unidos Mexicanos (United Mexican States) incorporates 31 socially and physically diverse states and the Federal District.
More than half of the Mexican people live in the centre of the country, whereas vast areas of the arid north and the tropical south are sparsely settled. Migrants from impoverished rural areas have poured into Mexico’s cities, and nearly four-fifths of Mexicans now live in urban areas. Mexico City, the capital, is one of the most populous cities and metropolitan areas in the world. Mexico has experienced a series of economic booms leading to periods of impressive social gains, followed by busts, with significant declines in living standards for the middle and lower classes. The country remains economically fragile despite the forging of stronger ties with the United States and Canada through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Mexico’s urban growing pains are in sharp counterpoint to the traditional lifestyles that prevail in more-isolated rural areas. In states such as Oaxaca or Chiapas, small communal villages remain where indigenous peasants live much as their ancestors did. The cultural remnants of great pre-Columbian civilizations, such as Teotihuacán or the Mayan pyramids at Chichén Itzá and Tulum, provide a contrast to colonial towns such as Taxco or Querétaro. In turn, these towns appear as historical relics when compared with the modern metropolis of Mexico City. Yet even the bustling capital city, which has been continually built and rebuilt on the rubble of past civilizations, reveals Mexico’s wide range of social, economic, and cultural struggles. As the renowned Mexican poet and intellectual Octavio Paz observed,
Past epochs never vanish completely, and blood still drips from all their wounds, even the most ancient. Sometimes the most remote or hostile beliefs and feelings are found together in one city or one soul, or are superimposed like [pre-Columbian] pyramids that almost always conceal others.
It is this tremendous cultural and economic diversity, distributed over an enormously complex and varied physical environment, that gives Mexico its unique character.
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Sharing a common border throughout its northern extent with the United States, Mexico is bounded to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and to the southeast by Guatemala and Belize. Mexico also administers such islands and archipelagoes as the Tres Marías in the Pacific and Cozumel and Mujeres off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. Including these insular territories, the roughly triangular country covers an area about three times the size of Texas. While it is more than 1,850 miles (3,000 km) across from northwest to southeast, its width varies from less than 135 miles (217 km) at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to more than 1,200 miles (1,900 km) in the north.
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Learn about Mexico, the third largest country in Latin America, with a rich and diverse history, culture, and natural environment. Explore its geography, economy, politics, society, and more from Britannica's comprehensive article.
- Mexico City. Best place for art and vibrant culture. Wondering where to go for your first trip to Mexico? Start in the bustling capital that brims with skyscrapers, markets, gardens and parks, awe-inspiring museums and more than 22 million residents.
- Isla Holbox. Best island for bioluminescence and flamingos. For its size, Isla Holbox packs a strong biodiversity punch. Only a mile wide and 26 miles long, this is one of the best places to visit in Mexico to see bubblegum-pink flamingos in the wild (head to Punta Mosquito), catch a glimpse of whale sharks (between mid-May and mid-September), and witness the mesmerizing show of bioluminescent phytoplankton glimmering in the water.
- San Miguel de Allende. Best place for craft shops and folk art. This Mexican beauty has it all: a fantastic spring-like climate, extraordinary light, breathtaking architecture, superb handicraft shopping, and well-attended art workshops.
- Bacalar. Best place for lagoon living and Maldives vibes. Everything about Bacalar is magical. Not only was it recognized by the Mexican government as a Magic Town (Pueblo Mágico) in 2006, but it’s also known for its ethereal jewel-toned lagoon, serene spas offering Mexican healing rituals and a distinct bohemian vibe.
- State of Baja California. FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the city of Tijuana, except: airside transit through Tijuana airport. the Cross Border Xpress bridge from the airport linking terminals across the Mexican-US border.
- State of Chihuahua. FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Chihuahua, except: the city of Chihuahua. the border crossing in Ciudad Juárez (accessed by federal toll road 45)
- State of Colima. FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Colima, except: the city of Manzanillo accessed by sea or air via the Manzanillo-Costalegre International Airport.
- State of Guanajuato. FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the areas southwest of road 45D.
Jul 25, 2023 · Explore the geography, states, and location of Mexico, a country in southern North America. Find maps, facts, and images of its mountains, volcanoes, peninsulas, rivers, and lakes.
- Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico)
- United Mexican States
- 1,943,945.00 km 2
- 1,964,375.00 km 2
Discover the diverse and vivid dreams of Mexico, from palm-fringed beaches and chili-spiced cuisine to steamy jungles and teeming cities. Find out the best time and places to visit, the top attractions and activities, and the visa and money tips for your trip.
Oct 4, 2012 · Mexico is a nation where affluence, natural splendour, a rich indigenous history, poverty and urban blight rub shoulders. It is a major oil exporter, but rural areas and shanty towns suffer...
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