Mexico-Third Largest Latin American Country

Land

• Land bridge- Narrow strip of land that joins two larger landmasses

• Mexico- top of the land bridge that connects North America and South America

• Sierra Madre- “Mother Range”- made of three mountain ranges

• Small population live in the Sierra Madre Mountains,

Land Continued

• Many mountains are volcanoes

• Earthquakes occur often because of the meeting of plates underground

                                                                                                                                                                                                

Ixtacihuatl is a beautiful inactive volcano near Mexico City.

Plateau of Mexico

• Large flat center of Mexico surrounded by the Sierra Madre Mountains

Plateau of Mexico continued

• North- mainly deserts and grassy plains

• Broad flat valleys in the center of the plateau hold most of major cities and most of the people

• Mexico City- capital Mexico located in the southern end of the Plateau of Mexico

• Coastal Lowlands- lowland plains between the ocean and the mountains

Climate

• Latitude- Location north or south of the equator• Tropic of Cancer- latitude that is 23 degrees

north of the equator and crosses the middle of Mexico

• The area south of the Tropic of Cancer has a tropical climate, warm climates throughout the year. (more rainfall)

• Areas north of the Tropic of Cancer are warm in summer and cool in winters (drier climate)

Climate continued• Altitude- height above sea level

• Mountainous areas have cooler temperature because of higher altitude

• Sea level areas have a warmer climate

Average rainfall• Rainfall varies through Mexico

• Northern areas are dryer, southern areas receive more rain

• Hurricanes- fierce tropical storms, can strike Mexico during summer

Mexican Regions

Northern Mexico

• Dry climate and rocky ground; Not good for growing crops without irrigation

• Large cattle ranches

• Vaqueros- cowhands that developed tools and techniques for roping, branding, and herding cattle

Desert areas

• Dry areas in Northern Region form desert lands

Major Cities of Northern Mexico

• Monterrey- Mexico’s main producer of steel and cement

• Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez- Cities that border the United States. The U.S. has built factories here.

• Maquiladoras- factories that assemble parts made in other countries, such as the United States, are found in northern Mexico

Central Mexico

• Region in which more than half of Mexico’s people live

• Mild temperatures and pleasant climate year round caused people to settle here

• Fertile soil is good for farming

• Large industrial cities such as Mexico City and Guadalajara prosper in Central Mexico

Southern Mexico

• Poorest region of Mexico, very mountainous

• Subsistance farms- Small farms on which farmers grow only enough food to feed their families

• Coastal areas of Southern Mexico have rich soil with large plantations- large farms that sell a single crop

North American Free Trade Agreement

• Trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico made in 1994

• Under this agreement most goods are free of tariffs, special taxes

• Designed to increase trade among these three countries, rather than other countries because of no taxes

• Americans fear that manufacturers will move factories to Mexico where labor is cheaper

• Debate over NAFTA is still going on.

Tropical Rain Forests

Mexico’s Government

• Federal republic- power is divided between the national and state governments

• United states also has a federal republic

• Mexico has a very powerful president, but no vice- president

• President is more powerful than the legislative or judicial branch

Economics

• Large population growth; people moving to cities

• National debt- money owed by the government

• Pollution- smog caused by a mixture of chemicals and fog in the air.

• Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, has tremendous smog problems. (Air is trapped by the mountains)

Mexico City