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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