MEXICO NOTES

GEOGRAPHY* Mexico is a land bridge between the United States and the Central American nations of Guatemala and Belize

* Shares a 1,936-mile common border with the United States

* The long, Mexican peninsula south of California is called Baja California

* Bordered by both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

* Coastal plains rising to a central plateau

* Northern Mexico is desert like, while the south is a mountainous jungle containing Maya and Aztec ruins.

* Most people live in the densely populated waist of the country, including the cities of Veracruz, Mexico City, and Guadalajara

MAJOR CITIES AND LOCATION INFORMATION* Some states in Mexico include:

Chihuahua, Durango, Tabasco

* Other Major Cities- Guadalajara (3.9 million)- Monterrey (3.5 million)- Puebla (1.8 million),

* Resort Cities- Acapulco- Puerto Vallarta

MEXICO CITY* The Capital City of Mexico City is in the Federal District and:

- Has about 20 million people- Has over 60,000 taxicabs- Has the world’s largest bullfighting arena

*With more than 19 million people, many living in barrio slums, Greater Mexico City is one of the world's largest urbanized areas.

CULTURE90% are Roman Catholic30% are Native American from Olmec, Aztec, or Mayan heritage (ancestors to

Native Americans)

* Corn, hot peppers, and beans are in most daily meals

* Tortillas, tacos, and quesadillas popular in central Mexico

* Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican victory over the French

* Most popular sport is Soccer. Baseball is popular as well

ECONOMY

* One of the world's largest oil producers (most goes to the United States)

* Oil and gas provide 1/3 of the government's revenue

* Agriculture remains a major employer

* The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) makes Mexico highly dependent on exports to the U.S.....If U.S. economy is down, then Mexican economy is down

*

GENERAL NOTES

* HDI Ranking is 56th out of 170 (approximately)

* President of Mexico is Felipe Calderon

* Mexico's declining birthrate should help with the huge increase in population.

* In 2000 Mexico became the 11th country in the world to have 100 million people—more than double its 1970 population of 48 million

* Tough environmental restrictions have been enacted to cope with increasingly dangerous levels of air and water pollution.

MEXICO QUICK FACTSHEET

Population107,000,000 (U.S. has 300 million)

Area758,449 square miles (U.S. has 3.7 million sq. miles)

LanguageSpanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other indigenous

ReligionRoman Catholic and Protestant

Internet Users18.1 million

31 states and Federal District (U.S. has 50 States and a Federal District)

Capital CityMexico City (19 million)

ActiveTroops237,000 (U.S. has 1.5 million)

CurrencyMexican Peso

Life Expectancy75