Mexico

Full name of country: United Mexican States

Region: North America

Official language: Spanish

Population: 130,739,927 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Mexican(s) (noun), Mexican (adjective)

Land area: 1,943,945 sq km (750,561 sq miles)

Water area: 20,430 sq km (7,888 sq miles)

Capital: Mexico City (Distrito Federal)

National anthem: “Himno Nacional Mexicano” (National Anthem of Mexico), by Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra/Jaime Nuno Roca

National holiday: Independence Day, September 16 (1810)

Population growth: 0.72% (2024 est.)

Time zone: Mexico encompasses three times zones: UTC –6, UTC –7, and UTC –8

Flag: The Mexican Flag presents three vertical and equal stripes of green (left), white (middle), and red (right), with the Mexican coat of arms emblazoned in the center of the white stripe. The flags colors are those of Mexico’s national liberation army. The coat of arms depicts an eagle, perched on a cactus, eating a snake. The cactus is situated on a rock above a lake. This seal recalls an Aztec legend in which the gods told the Aztec people to found their city in a place where an eagle ate a snake atop a nopal (cactus).

Independence: September 16, 1810 (declared); September 27, 1821 (recognized by Spain)

Government type: federal republic

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Legal system: civil law system with US constitutional law influence; judicial review of legislative acts

Mexico, formally known as the Estados Unidos Mexicanos, is the southernmost nation in North America. Its neighbor to the north is the United States of America, while to the south are the Central American nations of Guatemala and Belize.

Mexico’s west coast sits on the Pacific Ocean, while its east coast borders the Gulf of Mexico. Its coastal border above Belize marks the northernmost point of the Caribbean Sea; between the Baja California peninsula and the rest of Mexico lies the Gulf of California. The Yucatán Channel separates Mexico from Cuba.

Mexico is one of the most populous countries in the Western Hemisphere and has the highest population of Spanish speakers in the world.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Mexico is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse nations in the world. The majority of Mexicans are Mestizos, of mixed Indigenous and Spanish heritage, which reflects the settlement and population of Latin America by European powers.

The next largest ethnicity in Mexico are descendants of Olmecs, Maya, Aztecs, and other historical Mexican Indigenous peoples. There are also small populations of Mexicans of solely European descent (mostly Spanish, but also some Germans, Italians, and French), and some of solely Indigenous descent (such as the Yaqui and the Nahua). Like the other nations of North America, Mexico has attracted immigrants from all over the world, including the United States, China, Lebanon, Germany, the Philippines, and several Latin American countries.

Hundreds of languages are spoken in Mexico, including at least fifty-six Indigenous languages. Among these are dialects of Nahuatl, Mayan, Mixtec, Tsotsil, Zapotec, Otomí, Totonac, Chol, and Mazatecan. Because of the remoteness of some villages in Mexico, dialects often differ within a small geographic distance. In 2020, 6 percent of Mexican residents spoke an Indigenous language; of them, an estimated 0.6 percent spoke only an Indigenous language.

Like the United States, Mexico has a constitutional right of freedom of religion for all of its people. However, in some areas, such as the state of Chiapas, many non-Catholic, Indigenous people have been the victims of religious discrimination. The majority of Mexicans, 78 percent, are Roman Catholic, but many other Christian groups operate as well, particularly Pentecostal, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other evangelical Protestant groups. In addition, some Indigenous religions are practiced there, as well as a faith practiced in Chiapas, Yucatan, and Oaxaca that blends Maya and Christian beliefs. Small numbers of Jews, Mormons, and Muslims live in Mexico too.

About 81.6 percent of Mexico’s total population lived in urban areas in 2023. The highest density areas are along the east-to-west strip between the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean in the southern half of the country, near Guadalajara and Mexico City. The Sonoran Desert area of northern Mexico (which also includes parts of Arizona and California) contains some of the least populated areas in the world. In rural areas, there are large populations of campesinos (agrarian workers), many of whom migrate to the United States to help support their families in Mexico.

The largest urban centers in Mexico in 2023 were Mexico City, with a population of 22.28 million, followed by Guadalajara (5.42 million), Monterrey (5.11 million), Puebla (3.34 million), Toluca de Lerdo (2.62 million), and Tijuana (2.26 million).

The average life expectancy at birth in Mexico is 74.6 years (2024 estimate). Mexico’s United Nations Human Development Index rank in the 2021/22 report was 77 out of 193 countries and territories.

Indigenous People: Prior to the resettlement of Mexico by Europeans after 1500, most regions of what is now known as Mexico had already been settled at various times by Indigenous tribes. These included the Maya of the Yucatán region, the Olmecs of south central Mexico, and the Aztecs, whose capital at the time of first European contact was the city of Tenochtitlán, which is now Mexico City.

After conquest, the Indigenous populations and European settlers rapidly integrated; their descendants are known as Mestizos (mixed). There are still very large populations of Indigenous peoples throughout Mexico. Among the sixty-eight ethnic groups still extant are the Rarámuri (Tarahumara), Nahuas, Huicholes and Coras, Zapotecas, and Mayas.

The main issues affecting Indigenous people of Mexico at the start of the twenty-first century are the continuing struggles for civil rights, education, land encroachment by farmers and ranchers, religious freedom, and racism. Occasionally, as in the Zapatista uprising in the state of Chiapas in the mid-1990s, the issues between Indigenous peoples and the Mexican government have ended in bloodshed.

Education: The right to a free education is guaranteed by the Mexican constitution. Public education is compulsory for Mexicans from preprimary through secondary school (ages three to seventeen), but the education levels achieved by many are not, on average, very high. This is due in part to the inability of the government to keep pace with explosive population growth in the last few decades, as well as extreme poverty throughout the country. Both of these factors make it very difficult to find enough qualified teachers and support staff to run even the most basic of schools.

Since 2000, Mexico’s education system has made great strides. Between 2000 and 2011, upper secondary graduation rates increased by more than 3.5 percent each year. In 2013, estimates indicated 49 percent of Mexican youth would graduate from upper secondary education; this was a marked improvement from the 2000 number of 33 percent. In 2018, Mexico had an attendance rate of 99 percent for primary school and 90 percent for lower secondary school, though only 68 percent of youth attended upper secondary school. By 2020, school life expectancy in Mexico was fifteen years.

Most Mexican states have at least one university. Among the most prominent colleges in Mexico are the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the University of Guadalajara, and the National Polytechnic University in Mexico City.

The literacy rate in Mexico is 95.2 percent (2020 estimate), a significant rise over previous decades, thanks in part to a public literacy drive.

Health Care: The major health care challenges in Mexico are a direct result of poverty: in rural areas and on the fringes of large urban centers, health care is endangered by a lack of resources and little public health awareness. Other challenges include state health expenditures and a lack of quality in existing health centers.

Because of these and other problems, a national universal health care system was instituted in Mexico in 2012, with the goal of achieving greater health equality for all Mexicans and the institution of massive public health education reforms.

Food: Many Mexican recipes and dishes have become assimilated into the American diet, including tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and guacamole, but there are hundreds more that remain distinctly Mexican. Common ingredients found in Mexican cuisine are corn, pinto beans, beef, tortillas (a flat bread made from either wheat or corn), black beans, chili peppers, and chocolate.

Popular dishes include mole poblano (a type of saucy dish made with chocolate); menudo (tripe and hominy soup); refried beans; sauces, such as salsa and pico de gallo, made with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and a wealth of other ingredients; and churros, a type of Mexican pastry that is very common in the southwestern United States (as are many other Mexican dishes).

Another popular type of Mexican cuisine is Tex-Mex, a hybrid of flavors and ingredients found in both the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

Arts & Entertainment: Like most countries in the Western Hemisphere, Mexico’s national arts and culture are derived in some way from both European traditions and those of its Indigenous peoples.

Popular musical forms in Mexico include mariachi music, which can feature several types of instruments, most notably acoustic and bass guitar, trumpets and vocalists; ranchera; norteño, which evolved into Tex-Mex music in the United States; corridos, a story-song style that has many derivations, such as the narcocorrido (sung tales of drug trafficking); and the son, which is related to the Cuban son.

Mexican literature has achieved international recognition because of the works of such writers as Octavio Paz (who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1990), Carlos Fuentes, Juan Rulfo, and Mariano Azuela. Prominent Mexican painters include Rufino Tamayo, Frida Kahlo, and Diego Rivera. Mexico has produced its own architectural wonders, including such Spanish colonial buildings as the Cathedral in Mexico City and the Nuestra Señora de los Milagros, designed by Mexican architect and painter Juan O’Gorman.

One notable area of increasing excellence in Mexican arts is cinema. Since the late 1990s, a small but internationally renowned batch of films, including those directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También and Roma), Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman and The Revenant), and Carlos Carrera (El Crimen del Padre Amoro), have contributed to a new wave of Mexican filmmakers.

The most popular sports in Mexico are football (known as soccer in the United States) and baseball.

Holidays: Secular holidays in Mexico include anniversary of the Constitution (first Monday of February), the birthday of Benito Juárez (third Monday of March), Labor Day (May 1), Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla (May 5), Independence Day (September 16), and the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution (third Monday of November). Religious holidays include Holy Thursday, Holy Friday, and Easter (March or April); Day of the Dead (November 2); and Christmas (December 25).

Environment and Geography

Topography: The Mexican terrain varies from north to south: northern Mexico is mostly desert, while southern Mexico is situated in a tropical rain forest region. Mexico contains several mountain ranges, including the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental, both of which stretch between Mexico and the United States in the north; the Cordillera Neovolcanica in central Mexico; and the Sierra Madre del Sur in southern Mexico. The coastal areas and the Yucatán Peninsula in southern Mexico are characterized by lowlands. Running through central Mexico from the US border to the southern regions is a large central plateau.

Mexico also has many volcanoes. The highest point in Mexico, at 5,636 meters (18,490 feet), is at Volcan Pico de Orizaba, in Veracruz.

Several major rivers run through Mexico: the Rio Bravo (known as the Rio Grande in the United States) and the Lerma-Santiago River. The largest lake is Lake Chapala, near the city of Guadalajara. The Mexican coastline is 9,330 kilometers (5,797 miles) long.

Natural Resources: Because of its uneven, often harsh, terrain, Mexico has few natural agricultural resources. Major natural resources of Mexico include petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, and timber.

The major conservation and environmental issues facing Mexico include hazardous waste treatment; large urban migration; lack of potable water in some areas (most notably the north); industrial pollution and air pollution in major cities, including Mexico City; and deforestation in the rainforest region.

Plants & Animals: Because of the diverse geography of Mexico, it is home to flora that is typical of both North American deserts (cacti, mesquite trees, and scrub grass) and tropical rainforests (fern and high canopy). Mexico, like Brazil, has a very large variety of rainforest plants, including thousands of species that are native to Mexico. The mountainous regions contain several varieties of tree, including oak and pine.

Like the plants, the animals of Mexico vary from region to region. Common desert animals include the mountain lion, javelina, deer, bears, and coyotes, while the southern region contains such rain forest animals as tapirs and jaguars (as well as their cousin, the much smaller but no less ferocious jaguarundi). Toucans, hawks, vultures, and many other types of bird are very common throughout Mexico. The crested caracara is the national bird of Mexico.

Climate: In general, the Mexican climate ranges from arid to tropical, temperate to humid, and rainy to dry, depending on the region. Because of the considerable elevation differences in Mexico, which vary from the high, mountainous regions to the low coastal areas, there are many differences in climate.

The average temperature in the northern portion of Baja California and throughout the northwest coastal region of Mexico is about 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). At the southern point of the peninsula and along the west coast of Mexico, the average temperature is 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit). The average annual temperature in the central plateau region is 18 degrees Celsius (65 degrees Fahrenheit), while in the Yucatán Peninsula region it is 27 degrees Celsius (80degrees Fahrenheit).

The average temperature of Mexico City is around 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) with an annual rainfall of 66 centimeters (26 inches). The Gulf Coast area also has an annual temperature of 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit). Annual rainfall varies as well, from 12.7 centimeters (5 inches) in the northwest to 2 meters (80 inches) in the Gulf Coast.

Economy

In its recent past, Mexico experienced periods of sustained economic troubles due to foreign debt, an overvaluation of the peso, and ineffective economic policies. Beginning in the 1990s, however, there were signs of some economic growth and reform, and Mexico entered the twenty-first century in a better economic position than might have been expected. Mexico’s economy has become increasingly geared toward manufacturing and industry since the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994.

Mexico’s unemployment rate was around 2.81 percent in 2023. In 2023, Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP, purchasing power parity) was valued at $2.873 trillion and its per-capita GDP was an estimated US$22,100. However, income distribution in Mexico is extremely unequal, and about 36.3 percent of the population lived below the poverty line (2022 estimate).

Industry: Mexico’s major industries are food and beverage production, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, apparel and textiles, automobiles, and tourism. Among its most important exports are vehicles and auto parts and electronics, petroleum and related products, plastics, chemicals, and agricultural produce. The major export partner for Mexico is the United States. Its major import partners are the United States and China.

Agriculture: The most important agricultural products in Mexico are grains, beans, soybeans, cotton, coffee, fruits, dairy, and wood products. Cattle and chicken are the most important livestock in Mexico. Subsistence farming is a major part of Mexican agriculture but does not produce many goods for sale.

Tourism: Each year, tourism generates a significant percentage of Mexico’s GDP. Popular destinations in Mexico include coastal attractions on the Baja California Peninsula, and in Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, and Puerto Escondido. Cultural attractions abound in most cities and regions of Mexico, such as Acapulco, Guadalajara, and Mexico City. There are also many archaeological attractions in such places as Campeche and Calakmul. In addition, there are many natural features of Mexico that attract tourists, including the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl.

Many US citizens enjoy trips to the northern border cities of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua (Texas at El Paso), Nogales, Sonora (Arizona at Nogales), and Tijuana, Baja California (California at San Diego), but these destinations are often derided as tourist locales because they offer travelers an extremely limited view of Mexican culture.

Government

Mexico comprises thirty-one states, each with its own capital city and state constitution, and one federal district, which contains the capital city, Mexico City. It is a federal republic with executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.

The president, both head of state and head of government, is directly elected by simple majority vote to one six-year term; reelection is not allowed. The Mexican legislative body is the bicameral National Congress, comprising a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate.

For many years, Mexico was ruled by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), which dominated Mexican politics from 1929 to 2000. The Partido Acción Nacional came to dominate national politics in the early 2000s, with the elections of Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón. PRI regained the presidency in 2012 with the election of Enrique Peña Nieto. In July 2018, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, representing Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (MORENA), won the presidential election with 53.2 percent of the vote. López Obrador, who is known in Mexico as AMLO, took office on December 1, 2018. The Mexican constitution was adopted in 1917 and was last amended in 2020.

In June 2024, Mexican voters elected MORENA candidate Claudia Sheinbaum to succeed López Obrador as president in a historic victory. Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, beat Xochitl Galvez to become Mexico's first woman president as well as the nation's first Jewish president. Some observers noted that Mexican women had only gained the right to vote and to run for public office in 1953. The government subsequently enacted several reforms to set a minimum percentage of female representatives in Congress, reaching 50-percent gender parity in federal and local congressional elections in 2014 and gender parity in other political leadership positions in 2019.

Interesting Facts

• Mexico declared its independence from Spain in 1821.
• Famous entertainers from Mexico include the actor Ricardo Montalbán, actor Salma Hayek, and wrestler Rey Mysterio.
• Mexico has the highest population of native Spanish speakers in the world.

Bibliography

Anderson, Jon Lee. “A New Revolution in Mexico.” The New Yorker 25 June 2018, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/06/25/a-new-revolution-in-mexico. Accessed 28 Jun. 2022.

Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division. World Statistics Pocketbook, United Nations, series V, no. 43, 2019, unstats.un.org/unsd/publications/pocketbook/files/world-stats-pocketbook-2019.pdf. Accessed 28 Jun. 2022.

"Economic Impact Reports." World Travel and Tourism Council, 2020, wttc.org/Research/Economic-Impact. Accessed 28 Jun. 2022.

"Human Development Insights." Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme2022, 13 Mar 2024, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

Madry, Kylie, and Valentine Hilaire. "Mexico's Sheinbaum Wins Landslide to Become Country's First Woman President." Reuters, 3 June 2024, www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexicans-vote-election-seen-crowning-first-female-president-2024-06-02/. Accessed 27 June 2024.

“Mexico.” The World Bank 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/mexico. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

“Mexico.” The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 16 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mexico/. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

“Mexico: Key Demographic Indicators.” UNICEF Data, UNICEF, data.unicef.org/country/pry. Accessed 28 Jun. 2022.

“Mexico (MEX) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners.” OEC, Observatory of Economic Complexity, 2020, oec.world/en/profile/country/mex. Accessed 28 Jun. 2022.

Ramírez Camacho, Vania, and Kenzie Langhorne-Ajidahun. "Women's Suffrage in Mexico Meets the 2024 Election." Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, 20 Mar. 2024, www.bakerinstitute.org/research/womens-suffrage-mexico-meets-2024-election. Accessed 27 June 2024.

“2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mexico.” US Department of State, 2020, www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/mexico. Accessed 28 Jun. 2022.‌