Mexico-Third Largest Latin American Country

Land Land bridge- Narrow strip of land that joins two larger landmasses Mexico- top of the land bridge that connects North America and South America Sierra Madre- “Mother Range”- made of three mountain ranges Small population live in the Sierra Madre Mountains,

Land Continued Many mountains are volcanoes Earthquakes occur often because of the meeting of plates underground                                                                                                                                                                                                  Ixtacihuatl is a beautiful inactive volcano near Mexico City.

Plateau of Mexico Large flat center of Mexico surrounded by the Sierra Madre Mountains

Plateau of Mexico continued North- mainly deserts and grassy plains Broad flat valleys in the center of the plateau hold most of major cities and most of the people Mexico City- capital Mexico located in the southern end of the Plateau of Mexico Coastal Lowlands- lowland plains between the ocean and the mountains

Climate Latitude- Location north or south of the equator Tropic of Cancer- latitude that is 23 degrees north of the equator and crosses the middle of Mexico The area south of the Tropic of Cancer has a tropical climate, warm climates throughout the year. (more rainfall) Areas north of the Tropic of Cancer are warm in summer and cool in winters (drier climate)

Climate continued Altitude- height above sea level Mountainous areas have cooler temperature because of higher altitude Sea level areas have a warmer climate

Average rainfall Rainfall varies through Mexico Northern areas are dryer, southern areas receive more rain Hurricanes- fierce tropical storms, can strike Mexico during summer

Mexican Regions Northern Mexico Dry climate and rocky ground; Not good for growing crops without irrigation Large cattle ranches Vaqueros- cowhands that developed tools and techniques for roping, branding, and herding cattle

Desert areas Dry areas in Northern Region form desert lands

Major Cities of Northern Mexico Monterrey- Mexico’s main producer of steel and cement Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez- Cities that border the United States. The U.S. has built factories here. Maquiladoras- factories that assemble parts made in other countries, such as the United States, are found in northern Mexico

Central Mexico Region in which more than half of Mexico’s people live Mild temperatures and pleasant climate year round caused people to settle here Fertile soil is good for farming Large industrial cities such as Mexico City and Guadalajara prosper in Central Mexico

Southern Mexico Poorest region of Mexico, very mountainous Subsistance farms- Small farms on which farmers grow only enough food to feed their families Coastal areas of Southern Mexico have rich soil with large plantations- large farms that sell a single crop

North American Free Trade Agreement Trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico made in 1994 Under this agreement most goods are free of tariffs, special taxes Designed to increase trade among these three countries, rather than other countries because of no taxes Americans fear that manufacturers will move factories to Mexico where labor is cheaper Debate over NAFTA is still going on.

Tropical Rain Forests

Mexico’s Government Federal republic- power is divided between the national and state governments United states also has a federal republic Mexico has a very powerful president, but no vice- president President is more powerful than the legislative or judicial branch

Economics Large population growth; people moving to cities National debt- money owed by the government Pollution- smog caused by a mixture of chemicals and fog in the air. Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, has tremendous smog problems. (Air is trapped by the mountains)

Mexico City