- international: claimed by Comoros

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@Mexico

Mexico Introduction

Background: The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico
came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving
independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in
late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst
recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an
impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include
low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the
population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement
opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the
impoverished southern states.

Mexico Geography

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