Geography

GEOGRAFIA

The major part of Mexico belongs to North America and touches the United States in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the west and south, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea in the east and Guatemala and Belize in the south. The southern part of the country belongs to Central America.

Mexico's total area covers 1,972,550 square kilometers, including approximately 6,000 square kilometers of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of California. Mexico has a 9,330 kilometer coastline, of which 7,338 kilometers face the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California and the remaining 2,805 kilometers the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

 Between these two coastlines are situated ranges and plateaus. The most important ones are the Sierra Madre Occidental in the west and the Sierra Madre Oriental in the east, as well as the Mexican's highlands in the center of the country. In the south there are the Sierra Madre del Sur and the Highlands of Chiapas.

Mexico's biggest cities are Mexico City, Puebla, Guadalajara, Leon, Monterrey and Cuernavaca and its highest point is the volcano Popocatepetl with 5747 meters.