Location Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US

Geographic coordinates 23 00 N, 102 00 W

Map references North America

Area
total: 1,972,550 sq km
land: 1,923,040 sq km
water: 49,510 sq km

Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries
total: 4,538 km
border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,326 km

Coastline 9,330 km

Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate varies from tropical to desert

Terrain high, rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus, and desert

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m
highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

Natural resources petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

Land use
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 39%
forests and woodland: 26%
other: 22% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land 61,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Gulf and Caribbean coasts

Environment - current issues natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; serious air pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note strategic location on southern border of US

NOTE: The information regarding Mexico on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Mexico Geography 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Mexico Geography 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.