Mexico

Mexico is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Gulf of Mexico to the east, and the Caribbean Sea along the Yucatán Peninsula in the southeast. Along these coasts are very different environments, from dry Pacific shores to Gulf wetlands and Caribbean coral reefs, as well as fishing grounds, ports, and major tourism areas.

Much of central Mexico lies on a high plateau between long mountain ranges, with active volcanoes rising across the region. The mountain ranges are part of the Sierra Madre system, while a belt of volcanoes crosses central Mexico, including Popocatépetl near Mexico City and Puebla, one of the country's most active volcanoes. The high elevation makes many central highlands cooler than nearby lowlands and has helped shape where cities and farms developed.

The Río Bravo—the river known as the Rio Grande in the United States—forms much of the border between Mexico and Texas. It runs through a dry region where farms and cities on both sides depend heavily on its water. Mexico and the United States use treaties to divide and manage this limited supply.

Mexico ranges from cactus-filled deserts and cool mountain forests to tropical rainforests, mangrove wetlands, and coral reefs. Its long north-south span, dramatic changes in elevation, and mountains that redirect rainfall create these sharp contrasts. This range of habitats helps make Mexico one of the world's most biologically diverse countries.

Mexico is home to millions of Indigenous people from many distinct peoples, including the Nahua, Maya, Mixtec, Zapotec, and Rarámuri. The Mexican government recognizes 68 Indigenous language groups, and many communities continue to speak their own languages and maintain distinct traditions, foods, celebrations, and forms of community life.

Indigenous peoples and traditions that existed long before Spanish conquest are still part of Mexico today. The Maya built major cities in the south and Yucatán, while the Mexica, often called the Aztecs, built Tenochtitlan where Mexico City now stands. Spanish conquest overthrew Indigenous governments and imposed colonial rule, but Indigenous languages, foods, place names, farming traditions, and communities endured and remain part of Mexico today.

More than 20 million people live in the Mexico City metropolitan area, making it one of the largest urban areas in the Western Hemisphere. The capital dominates national politics, finance, media, and culture. Farther north, Monterrey grew around manufacturing and business, while Guadalajara is the largest city of western Mexico and an important center for technology, industry, and culture.

Son jarocho music in Veracruz, Maya-speaking communities in Yucatán, and northern ranching traditions all belong to the same country. Different Indigenous peoples, landscapes, migration patterns, and connections with other parts of the world helped Mexico's regions develop distinct traditions. In Veracruz, for example, son jarocho grew from Indigenous, African, Spanish, and Caribbean musical traditions.

Some products cross the U.S.-Mexico border several times while they are being made, as different factories on each side produce different parts. Factories on both sides make different components, creating closely linked production networks across North America. Major manufacturing centers in northern and central Mexico produce cars, electronics, appliances, aerospace parts, and other goods for markets across the continent and beyond.

Avocados thrive in Mexico's cooler highlands, coffee grows in wetter southern mountains, and irrigation makes farming possible in much drier regions. Agave grows especially well in parts of western and central Mexico, while other regions produce fruit and vegetables. Maize, or corn, remains one of the country's most important foods and crops.

In the early 1970s, Cancún was still a lightly developed stretch of Caribbean coast; today it is one of Mexico's largest resort destinations. The Mexican government deliberately developed the area for tourism, building roads and an international airport as hotels and resorts spread along the coast.

Many families in Mexico have relatives working in the United States who send part of what they earn back home. These payments, called remittances, help households pay for food, housing, education, businesses, and other expenses. Because migration between the two countries has continued for generations, millions of these transfers together bring billions of dollars into Mexico each year.