| 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
|
| 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; 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 of Mexico 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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
|
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