Mexico’s Land and Economy

Bridging Two Continents

• México forms part of a land bridge, or narrow strip of land that joins two larger landmasses.

• This land bridge connects North America and South America.

Bridging Two Continents

• Mexico is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west.

• Extending south along this western coast is Baja California, a peninsula, or piece of land with water on three sides.

Bridging Two Continents

• On Mexico’s eastern side, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea border the shores.

• Three different mountain ranges in Mexico make up the Sierra Madre, or “mother range.”

Bridging Two Continents

• The mountains hold copper, zinc, silver, and timber, but few people live there.

• Many of the mountains in Mexico are volcanoes.

Bridging Two Continents

• Popocatépetl erupted violently centuries ago.

• In 2000 it erupted again. • Mexicans also face the danger of

earthquakes.

Bridging Two Continents

• The Sierra Madre surround the large, flat Plateau of Mexico in the center of the country, where most of the Mexican people live and the main cities are located.

Land of Many Climates

• Latitude, or location north or south of the Equator, affects Mexico’s temperatures and different climates.

Land of Many Climates

• The Tropic of Cancer cuts across the center of Mexico at 231⁄ 2°N latitude.

• This marks the northern edge of the tropics.

Land of Many Climates

• Altitude, or height above sea level, affects temperatures in Mexico as well.

• The higher up you go, the cooler the temperatures.

Land of Many Climates

• Mexico has three altitude zones: tierra caliente, or “hot land”; tierra templada, or “temperate land”; and tierra fría, or “cold land.”

Land of Many Climates

• From June to October, Mexico can be hit by hurricanes.

• These are fierce tropical storms with high winds and heavy rains that form over the warm waters of the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.

Mexico’s Economic Regions

• Mexico has three distinct economic regions: the north, central Mexico, and the south.

Mexico’s Economic Regions

• Cowhands, called vaqueros, developed the present-day tools and techniques for herding, roping, and branding cattle.

Mexico’s Economic Regions

• Many companies from the United States and elsewhere have built maquiladoras, or factories that assemble parts made in other countries.

Mexico’s Economic Regions

• Northern Mexico has seen an industrial boom, causing many Mexicans to move to the north.

Mexico’s Economic Regions

• Much of the south is made up of subsistence farms, or small plots where farmers grow only enough food to feed their families.

Mexico’s Economic Regions

• The south is the poorest economic region, but its coastal lowlands have large plantations for sugarcane or bananas.

Mexico’s Economic Regions

• Large industrial cities like Mexico City and Guadalajara are located in prosperous central Mexico.

• More than 18 million people live in Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world.

Mexico’s Economy Today

• Mexico has a growing economy, which is among the top twelve in the world.

• Mexico’s exports include coffee, cotton, vegetables, fruit, livestock, and tobacco.

Mexico’s Economy Today

• Mexico has recently industrialized, or changed its economy to rely less on farming and more on manufacturing.

Mexico’s Economy Today

• It is also home to important service industries, businesses that provide services to people rather than making goods.

Mexico’s Economy Today

• Mexico, Canada, and the United States signed a treaty in the mid-1990s to promote economic growth.

• The treaty is called the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

Mexico’s Economy Today

• Goods traded between these countries are not taxed.