MEXICOMexico Mexico City

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LOCATIONNorthern border: United States South border Guatemala and BelizeMexico’s east coast borders the Gulf

of MexicoThe west coast of Mexico touches the

Pacific Ocean

MOUNTAINS The Mexican Plateau is 3,000 feet

high and much is dryThe Mexican Plateau has a

mountainous surfaceMountains border the plateau on

each sideWestern range: Sierra Madre

OccidentalEastern range: Sierra Madre Oriental

VOLCANOES The southern part of the Mexican

Plateau ends in a range of volcanoes

CLIMATE 2/3 of Mexico lies north of the tropic of

cancer and has a temperate climate Much of Mexico has a high elevation so even

parts that lie in the tropics have a temperate climate

Mexico has a semiarid climate meaning it is dry but not as dry as a desert

The dries part of Mexico is Baja California

AZTECS

MEXICAN FLAG

AGRICULTURE Subsistence Farming- family grows

food for themselves Main crop: maize

Commercial Farming- raise crops for sale

POPULATION GROWTH Mexico is one of the most rapidly

growing countries in the worldThis causes many problems

POPULATION GROWTH Many people live in the middle of

the countryThe northern part of Mexico is the

least populated because it is so dry

POPULATIONOver half of the people in Mexico

live in urban areasUrban means having to do with

the city

COUNTRYSIDE TO CITYPeople who leave one place to

live in another place within their country are called migrants

People do this because cities are more populated to find work, or for better opportunities

COUNTRYSIDE TO CITY Poor migrants live on unused land and

build houses from scraps of lumber, tin, or cardboard. This is called squatter settlements.

Mexican cities also have neighborhoods for the middle class and rich.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPEPatroness of the Americas

DAY OF THE DEADNovember 1 & 2Remember those who have diedViewed as a continuation of life

INDEPENDENCE DAYSeptember 16Freedom from SpainFather Hidalgo- gathered people

to fight for freedom

CINCO DE MAYOMexico borrowed

$ from FranceMexico couldn’t

pay France back to France invades Mexico

Mexico defeated the French on May 5

THE REPUBLIC OF MEXICOMexico is a republic- it has an

elected leader, the president who serves a 6 year term

Current President:Enrique Peña Nieto

THE REPUBLIC OF MEXICOEach state elects 2 senators and

deputies or representativesThe # of deputies is determined by

populationThere are currently 500 deputies

PRIMexico has one major political party,

Institutional Revolutionary Party or the PRI. However, there are other political parties

* The current president is a member of the PRI

TROUBLED ECONOMY Mexico has many debts. Mexico

discovered oil so the government began many costly projects.

It borrowed billions of dollars from other countries

TROUBLED ECONOMY They were going to repay the money

from the oil they would sell. When banks lend money to they charge interest a % of the amount borrowed

In 1981 the price of oil fell. Mexico had a hard time paying back the debts so the economy suffered.

NEW OPPOSITION By 1988 a new political party, National Action Party (PAN) established itselfThe last president was a

member of PAN