Mexico's Volcanoes 2008

Climbing the main volcanoes in Mexico during the year 2008: Iztaccihuatl, La Malinche, Nevado de Toluca, and Sierra Negra

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Mexico

General Data

• Long form: United Mexican States
• Capital: Mexico City (Distrito Federal)
• Area: 1,964,375 km² (position 15)
• Population: 111,211,789 (estimated July 2009, position 11)
• Life expectancy: 76.06 (position 71)
• Languages: Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages (Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages) 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%
• GDP per capita: $14,300 (estimated 2008, position 79)
• Lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m
• Highest point: Volcano Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

Source: Mexico, CIA - The World Fact Book, diciembre 2009

Description

Mexico, officially United Mexican States, occupies the southern part of North America. Bordered on the north by the United States of America, on the east by the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, on the southwest by Belize and Guatemala, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

The Mexican surface covers an area nearly 2 million square kilometers (nearly four times the size of Spain), therefore Mexico is in the fifteenth position among countries of the world sorted by area. In this territory over 110 million people live, so Mexico is the Spanish spoken country more populated.

In Mexico there are actually three "Mexico": Mexico City, capital of the country; the State of Mexico (whose capital is Toluca); and the country, United Mexican States.

Normally, Mexico is known for its beautiful crystalline beaches of the Riviera Maya and her lonely desert areas of the states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Although Mexico is not a very mountainous country, thanks to its volcanoes we can carry out high mountain activities (above 5,000 m high) with the advantage of enjoying a good time for most of the year.

Mexico is a country with a high seismic and volcanic activity. The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt is a chain of volcanoes that traverses the country from east to west and from coast to coast. If you visit the country and you have to suffer an earthquake, here you have some tips (in Spanish) on what to do:

More information: Mexico, Wikipedia.