1. Mexico-Third Largest Latin American Country

2. 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,

3. 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.

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

5. 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

6. 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)

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

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

9. 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

10. Desert areas
Dry areas in Northern Region form desert lands

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.

15. Tropical Rain Forests

16. 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

17. 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)

18. Mexico City