Geography of Mexico (original) (raw)

**Location:**Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US

**Geographic coordinates:**23 00 N, 102 00 W

**Map references:**North America

Area:
_total:_1,972,550 sq km
_land:_1,923,040 sq km
_water:_49,510 sq km

**Area - comparative:**slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
_total:_4,538 km
_border countries:_Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km

**Coastline:**9,330 km

Maritime claims:
_contiguous zone:_24 nm
_continental shelf:_200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
_exclusive economic zone:_200 nm
_territorial sea:_12 nm

**Climate:**varies from tropical to desert

**Terrain:**high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert

Elevation extremes:
_lowest point:_Laguna Salada -10 m
_highest point:_Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

**Natural resources:**petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

Land use:
_arable land:_12%
_permanent crops:_1%
_permanent pastures:_39%
_forests and woodland:_26%
_other:_22% (1993 est.)

**Irrigated land:**61,000 sq km (1993 est.)

**Natural hazards:**tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean coasts

**Environment - current issues:**natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; serious air pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border

Environment - international agreements:
_party to:_Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
_signed, but not ratified:_Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

**Geography - note:**strategic location on southern border of US

See also : Mexico