Mexico, in full United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos
in Spanish), federal republic in North America. Mexico is the fifth largest
country in the Western Hemisphere and is rich in natural resources such as
petroleum and natural gas. Mexico’s efforts to develop and modernize its
economy—one of the 15 largest in the world—have been slowed by the nation’s
rugged terrain, limited farmland, a rapidly growing population, and a series of
economic crises. The nation’s capital, Mexico City, is one of the largest cities
in the world. In Latin America, only Brazil has a larger population than Mexico.
Mexico is bordered by the United States on the north, the Pacific Ocean on the
west, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea on the east, and Guatemala and
Belize on the south. It is characterized by an extraordinary diversity in
topography and climate and is crossed by two major mountain chains, the Sierra
Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental. The high central plateau between
these two mountain ranges historically funneled most of the human population
toward the center of this region. Mexico features volcanic peaks, snow-capped
mountains, tropical rain forests, and internationally famous beaches. Mexico
City is an enormous metropolitan area and dominates the rest of the country’s
culture, economy, and politics. Nearly one-fifth of the nation’s population
lives in the immediate vicinity of the capital. Mexico City is also a central
hub for Mexico’s transportation network—including railroads, highways, and
airlines.
Mexico and the United States share a border that is 3,100 km (1,900 mi) long,
much of which is formed by the Río Grande, a major river known as the Río Bravo
in Mexico. This international border is the longest in the world between an
economically developing country and one with a highly developed, industrialized
economy. This proximity has influenced Mexico’s internal and external migration
patterns, prompting several million Mexicans to move north to the border region
or to the United States itself. It has also affected the culture of both Mexico
and the United States, fostering the development of a number of communities
along the border that mix the cultures of both nations.
