Embajada de México en Estados Unidos

Mexico is located on the North American subcontinent.

To the north, Mexico shares a 1,952-mile border with the United States, mainly defined by the Rio Grande, or Rio Bravo. To the south, it shares a 398-mile border with Guatemala, and 155-mile border with Belize. It is flanked by the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the east.

Mexico is about one-fifth the size of the United States. Chihuahua, Mexico's largest state, is slightly smaller than the state of Michigan.

Physical features

Mexico has many diverse physical features. There are deserts in the north, jungles in the south, and two large mountain ranges that cross the country, forming between them forested valleys and plateaus. Along its coasts, there are beautiful beaches on the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean.

The country is bisected by the Tropic of Capricorn, creating two distinct tropical and temperate climate zones. To the north of the tropic, temperatures are mild on the coasts, but arid inland with a rainy season from January to March. To the south, the climate is tropical and hot with rainy summers from June to October. Altitude in the central inland valleys regulates the temperature of the region, offering milder temperatures and occasional snow. Thus, in the north one might find deserts and prairies, while in the south tropical and high mountain forests make up most of the landscape.

Mexico is divided into 31 states and a federal district where the capital, Mexico City (#15), is located.

Volcanoes and Mountains

Mexico is dotted with volcanoes, many still active, which form some of its highest mountains. They were named by the indigenous inhabitants before the Spanish arrived. These are the highest mountains of Mexico:

Citlaltépetl,  or Pico de Orizaba "mountain of the stars":           18,700 ft.

Popocatépetl "smoking mountain":                                            17,887 ft.

Iztaccíhuatl "sleeping woman":                                                  17,342 ft.

Paricutín, one of the most famous volcanoes in the world, is located in the Mexican state of Michoacán. This young volcano was born in 1943. A farmer was plowing his field when he heard a rumbling under his feet, and smoke started coming out of holes in the ploughed soil. Within six days, the volcano had grown to over 500 feet in height, and had covered two villages with lava, leaving only the steeples of a church in view. Paricutín eventually reached a height of 1,500 feet. Scientists from around the world rushed to Mexico for the opportunity to witness the birth of a new volcano.

You can find most of the mountains in Mexico in one of two regions. The highest mountain peaks are located in the state of Puebla. The main mountain range in Mexico—the Sierra Madre Mountains—runs from the northwest to the southeast portion. The mountains start near the California border and continue into Guatemala.

Rivers, lakes, and waterfalls

The longest river in Mexico is the Río Bravo or Río Grande, which at 1,896 miles long forms more than half the border with the United States. Almost all Mexican rivers have their source in one of the two principal mountain ranges—the western Sierra Madre or the eastern Sierra Madre—and tend to be short in length.

Rivers in the west, like the Yaqui or the Lerma, flow either into the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of California. Those in the east, like the Usumacinta and the Pánuco, flow into the Gulf of Mexico. In the southern states of Quintana Roo and Yucatán the porous limestone creates underground rivers which flow into the Caribbean Sea. Some of these rivers create natural wells called cenotes when the roof above them collapses.

The largest lake in Mexico, Chapala, is located between the states of Jalisco and Michoacán. Lago de Cuitzen, in Michoacán and Guanajuato, and Laguna de Catemaco, in Veracruz, are the second and third largest respectively.

In the state of Chiapas, the Lacandón jungle surrounds the beautiful Agua Azul Falls of the Usumacinta river.

The Copper Canyon

The deepest canyon on the entire North American continent is located in Chihuahua, Mexico. It is called Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon), after the copper-like color of the rocks on its walls. At some 6, 160 ft. deep, despite being in the desert, the canyon is covered at the bottom by rich vegetation and trees.