International Program - Mexico
Mexico is a federal republic in North America. It 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.
Most of Mexico’s natural resources are below the soil. The country’s semiarid climate, its lack of rainfall, and its limited amounts of fertile land have made large-scale agriculture difficult. Only about 13 percent of Mexico’s land is cultivated. Approximately one-fourth of the nation is covered by forests, giving Mexico some of the world’s largest remaining forest reserves, despite the high levels of deforestation. Most of these forests are found in the Sierra Madre ranges, and in the rainy, tropical regions of the Yucatán Peninsula and the Chiapas Highlands. Mexico has large deposits of silver, copper, salt, fluorspar, iron, manganese, sulfur, phosphate, zinc, tungsten, molybdenum, mercury, gold, and gypsum. Petroleum is the country’s single most valuable mineral resource. Most of the major reserves have been discovered along the Gulf Coast, either inland, or in the Gulf of Mexico.
| Mexico | Facts about Mexico and links to other sites about Mexico. |
| Mexico for Kids | Learn about Mexican history, government, biodiversity and more. |
| President of Mexico | English and Spanish Content. News, press releases, speeches etc. from the office of the President of Mexico. |
| Tikal DAP | The Tikal Archive is particularly important given Tikal's role in both the Maya past and in the present. From much of its pre-Columbian existence - from its founding around 800 BC to its decline in the ninth century Tikal was one of the largest and most powerful Maya centers in all of Mesoamerica. |
| Viva Mexico | Pay a virtual visit to Mexico's famous landmarks and learn a few Spanish phrases. |
| World Factbook | Learn about the geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, and military of Mexico. |