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MEXICO
CHAPTER 6
Mexico City
Bay of
Campeche
Caribbean
Sea
Mexico
The Land
• Mexico forms part of a
that
connects North and South America.
• Rugged landscape- mountains, volcanoes,
deep valleys.
• Located where
of the Earth’s crust
have collided for billions of years.
World earthquake fault zones
Mexico City Earthquake – September 1985
Earthquakes devastate Mexico City -- September 19, 1985
Violent earthquakes jolt Mexico City September 19-20, killing more than 7,000 people. About 3,300
buildings are destroyed or damaged. Damage is later estimated at more than $4.1 billion.
I. Borders
- United States/Rio Grande River
- Central America
- Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea
- Pacific Ocean
Regions of Mexico
II. Mountains and Plateau
• (3) Three ranges:
(west)
(east)
(south)
•
(north/central)
Mexico’s Landform Regions
Sierra Madre
Occidental
Sierra Madre
Oriental
Sierra Madre Del
Sur
Plateau of Mexico
III. Coastal Lowlands
• Coastal plains along the Pacific Ocean
and the Gulf of Mexico.
• Many rivers (Rio Grande)
Coastal Lowlands
NORTH - Rio Grande
WEST - Pacific Ocean
EAST - Gulf of Mexico
Coastal Lowlands
NORTH - Rio Grande
WEST - Pacific Ocean
EAST - Gulf of Mexico
IV. Climate
•
Mountain ranges create 3 altitude zones
1.
- “hot land”, hot and humid all year.
Coastal plains (77°- 82° F).
2.
- “temperate land”, milder/cooler as
you climb the mountains (70° F).
3.
– “cold land”, top of mountains, cold
less vegetation (below 68° F).
Mexico’s Altitude Zones
Mexico
The Economy
• Population – 109,955,400 (July 2008 est.)
National Capital: Mexico City 22,000,000 (2006-11-22)
• Poor in fertile soil (only 11% of total land area can be farmed)
• Manufacturing and mining are vital to the economy
1/5 of the world’s silver (16%)
• Service industries – tourism and banking
Mexico’s
Three Economic Regions
• North
• Central Mexico
• South
The North
• Some farming
• Mostly ranching
• Monterrey – leads the country in steel
production
• Mining
• maquiladoras
Central Mexico
• Home to more than half the population
• Favorable conditions for agriculture
• Mexico City – at 22,000,000 “Ciudad de México” is the
3rd largest city in the world
• Industrial cities – Mexico City and Guadalajara
The South
• poorest area / work found on plantations
• Subsistence farms
• tourism
Mexico’s History and Government
• Mexico's Native American and European
heritage shapes the country's culture. The
Mayan and Aztec civilizations were the
best known of Mexico's early people. A
Spanish colony, Mexico won its
independence in 1821. Today Mexico's
government is a federal republic.
Mexico Today
• More than 70 percent of Mexicans live in urban
areas. Beautiful plazas and important buildings
are located in the center of these cities. In the
poorer sections, people make houses out of
whatever material they can find. Farming is still
important in Mexico, but manufacturing, service
industries, and oil refining play larger roles in the
economy. Mexico must find ways to handle its
growing population, pollution, and foreign debt.