Mexico facts: discover this fascinating country!

Mexico facts

OFFICIAL NAME: United Mexican States
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic of federated states
CAPITAL: Mexico City
POPULATION: 120,286,655
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Spanish
MONEY: Peso
AREA: 1,964,375 square kilometers
MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Sierra Madre
MAJOR RIVERS: Rio Grande, Yaqui
FLAG:

Mexico’s geography

Mexico is a land of extremes, with high mountains and deep canyons in the centre of the country, sweeping deserts in the north and dense rainforests in the south and east. Mountains cover much of Mexico. Between the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range in the east and the Sierra Madre Occidental in the west lie small mountain ranges on the Central Plateau. These regions are rich with valuable metals like silver and copper.

The stretch of land called the Yucatán Peninsula juts into the Gulf of Mexico from the country’s southeastern tip. It was once the home of the Maya civilisation, an ancient culture whose amazing buildings can still be seen today.

Mexican people & culture

Mexico is the product of a rich Indigenous heritage, three centuries of Spanish rule, and a shared border with the United States of America. Today, most Mexicans are mestizos, which means they have a mix of Indigenous and Spanish blood.

Throughout its history, Mexico has been home to great artists. The Maya and other Indigenous cultures made impressive murals, sculptures, and jewellery. Modern Mexican artists include great painters, photographers, sculptors and muralists (people who create artwork on walls).

Mexicans take sports seriously. In ancient times, losers of a ritual ball game were once put to death. Yikes! In some dangerous sports, like bullfighting and rodeo (which was invented in Mexico), competitors still put their lives on the line.

Mexico’s nature

Few nations on Earth support as many plant and animal species as Mexico does. Located partway between the Equator and the Arctic Circle, it is a refuge for animals fleeing extreme cold in the north and intense heat in the south.

In northern Mexico, deserts are full of plant and animal species that have found ways to survive the harsh environment. On Mexico’s west coast, gray whales swim thousands of miles each year from Alaska to breed in the waters off Baja California.

The rainforests and coastal wetlands of eastern Mexico are home to thousands of tropical plant species and elusive animals like jaguars and quetzal birds.

Mexican government & economy

Mexico is a country with great problems and great potential. It has lots of valuable, natural resources like oil, silver, copper and agricultural products, too. But political and economic problems have kept much of the population in poverty.

The Mexico-United States border is the largest economic divide on Earth. For many Mexicans, the best chance for a better life lies in the much more prosperous United States. Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans come to the U.S., legally and illegally, each year in search of work.

Mexican history

The Olmec people, Mexico’s first complex society, emerged in the southeastern part of the country around 1200 B.C. They were later followed by the Maya, the Toltec, and the Aztec peoples.

Mexico’s ancient societies built great cities and huge pyramids, created remarkable works of art, and even studied the stars and planets to determine when to plant crops and hold ceremonies.

In the early 1500s, the Spanish arrived in Mexico. The Aztec people got sick from smallpox and other diseases that the Spanish brought with them. The Spaniards also seized and destroyed the Aztec capital, called Tenochtitlan. The Spanish ruled the country until 1821, when Mexico gained independence.

Photos an illustrations: Mexico City: Arturo Osorno, Dreamstime. Mexican dancers: Softdreams, Dreamstime. All other images: Getty Images UK.
Words from kids.nationalgeographic.com.
Figures accurate at time of publication, January 2015.

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COMMENTS1

I like the girls with fans
cool
molly

this is so cool !
Anthea
lol
Kyle

This is a really helpful website and i got a lot of info from this website and have reseaved a lot of knowledge from this website
wow
Riva

Cool
Fghfd

Amazing infoe
Kittykat

Great
Ok

Omg the day of the dead I already know but omg
Kitty kat

Good and informing
wow
bailey

what about the day of the dead
J/Q/TB/J.B.S

As usual pretty useful!™
Charlie

It is good because I am learning about the aztecs at school
treelu

I love mexico its amazing
taco elephant

mexico is so cool I really wish I could go there!
Emma

That's awesome. One thing they didn't include is the festival of death
Ishaan

That's actually really cool! I'm going to borrow (not plagiarize) these facts in a presentation I'm making. Thumbs up Nat Geo!!!
Hi!!!

I like this article, because it is interesting. However, I think that you could include some facts about the Day of the Dead festival, as it is quite a big festival in the Mexican calendar. As well as this, you could add a few more things, such as what the best natural sights are, etc.
Leila

This information helped so much with my Geography project!
Aziza

I'v always wanted to go to Mexico
Bakamatsu

I'm half Mexican and a bilingual proud Latina. I love my country. We are proud of our culture and acceptance of others. ¡Viva Mexico!
teacher101

Great research for my new class topic
quinny

I find this good to use, it has helped me in my homework.
Mandeep

This is so interesting awesome!!!!!!!!
I love Geography

This is great help for Homework! Awesome Info! I learnt lots new facts about Mexico and was able to make an amazing project
Brandon qwerty I

Good
Ira

Love this website
Joey149

Cool facts
bla79834

hi
poppysawesomestuff

Awesome this really helped me with my homework : )
squeaks

brilliant fact file love mexico
Beth12

Love It!!!
jp21

cool helps with my homework
Aidan13

I like the pictures!
uyu

good
loin headed shark

NIce
Findlay

EPICCCCC!
reet

really good