Location:
North America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the United States and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the United States

Geographic coordinates:
23 00 N, 102 00 W

Map references:
North America

Area:
total: 1,964,375 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 1,943,945 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 20,430 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 15

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

Land boundaries:
total: 4,389 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (3): Belize 276 km, Guatemala 958 km, US 3,155 km

Coastline:
9,330 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 24 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous zone country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
[see also: Maritime claims - continental shelf country ranks ]

Climate:
varies from tropical to desert
More Climate Details

Terrain:
high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert

Elevation:
mean elevation: 1,111 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,636 m

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

Land use:
agricultural land: 54.9% arable land 11.8%; permanent crops 1.4%; permanent pasture 41.7%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 33.3%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 11.8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
65,000 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population - distribution:
most of the population is found in the middle of the country between the states of Jalisco and Veracruz; approximately a quarter of the population lives in and around Mexico City

Natural hazards:
tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts
volcanism: volcanic activity in the central-southern part of the country; the volcanoes in Baja California are mostly dormant; Colima (3,850 m), which erupted in 2010, is Mexico's most active volcano and is responsible for causing periodic evacuations of nearby villagers; it has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Popocatepetl (5,426 m) poses a threat to Mexico City; other historically active volcanoes include Barcena, Ceboruco, El Chichon, Michoacan-Guanajuato, Pico de Orizaba, San Martin, Socorro, and Tacana

Environment - current issues:
scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural freshwater 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; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion
note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, 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; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico