Mexico. Geography, description and characteristics of the country

This is a state located on the mainland of North America and occupying its southern and partly central regions. Mexico also includes offshore islands. Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. In the north is the longest, land and sea Mexican border - with the United States, or rather, with California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In the southwest, the country borders on Guatemala and Belize.

From the east, Mexico is washed by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and from the west by the Pacific Ocean (the Gulf of California goes deep into the coastline).

Capital of Mexico located in the city mexico city, which is the center of state political, economic and cultural life.

Mexico occupies the territory with total area 1,972,550 sq. km., the largest state is in 14th place in the world.

Mexico has a mountainous area, the country has many mountain ranges and active volcanoes. The latter make up a whole system of 350 volcanoes called Sierra Madre. In this regard, Mexico is characterized by high volcanic activity.

A ridge stretches from the eastern part of the country to the western part, called Transverse Volcanic Sierra. This is where it is located highest point Mexico - Orizaba Peak 5700 m high. Other highest points are also located here - a volcano popocatepetl(5452 m.), mountain Istaxihuatl(5286 m), etc.

mountain ranges Eastern and Western Sierra Madre, which continue the North American Rocky Mountains, cross the country from north to south. Spread between them mexican highlands divided into two parts called Northern(with an average height of about 1100 m) and Central(height 2000 m) Mesoy.

On the peninsula of Baja California there is a ridge of low ridges with a length of 1430 km. Mountains in the south and southeast of the country Sierra Madre South with an average height of 2000 m and Sierra Madre de Chiapas, whose ridges reach a height of 4000 m (we are talking about a volcano Takuma).

Mexico is located on three lithospheric plates, the regular movements of which lead to seismic activity, one of the highest on Earth.

Mexican soils vary from desert sierozems chihuahua and Sonora and gray-brown soils to very fertile red-brown, brown-red and reddish-black southern soils. Coniferous-hard-leaved, mixed and coniferous subtropical forests grow on the territory of the country.

About 150 rivers flow in Mexico, most of which flow into the Pacific Ocean, and the rest into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Water resources are distributed very unevenly throughout the country. Major rivers - Usumacinta, Grijalva, Papaloapan, Coatzacoalcos and Panuko carry more than half of all water resources Mexico, and only 12% of the population has access to them.

Other major rivers - balsas, Conchos, Tonto etc. The largest lake with fresh water called Chapala. The lake is also known Texcoco, partly drained by floods.‎ The Yucatan Peninsula is famous for its cenotes- natural wells from groundwater and rainwater.

Climate

The climate in Mexico is different, in the northern regions it is to subtropical, in the south - to tropical. So, in areas located on the Mexican Highlands, it is cool: winter temperatures average about +2 °C, and summer temperatures up to +15 °C. The resort areas located on the coast please with higher temperatures. In winter, the thermometer here rarely drops below +22 °C, and in summer the weather is hot - up to +35 °C.

There are dry (from November to April) and wet (from June to September) seasons, which almost do not differ in temperature, but the amount of precipitation and air humidity are very different. This phenomenon is caused by tropical cyclones, which sometimes bring not only precipitation, but also significant destruction.

Baja California and the northern and southern highlands have a dry climate, with only 300–600 mm of rainfall per year. But the coast of the Gulf of Mexico is much more rainy, here the amount of precipitation is more than 1000 mm per year. In the southeast of the state of Tabasco, precipitation can reach 2000 mm per year. And in the north of the country and in the mountains, sometimes it even snows in winter time.

beach resorts:

High season (December-April)
Driest months in most of Mexico. Christmas and Easter are widely celebrated, so be prepared for crowds of tourists and traffic jams.

Middle season (July and August)
Vacation time for many Mexicans and foreigners. The climate of the Pacific coast is hot and humid. The water temperature on the Pacific coast in the summer rises to 27°C, and on average for the year it is 25°C. The waters of the Caribbean Sea are slightly warmer - in the summer, the water temperature here is 29 ° C. Housing prices are rising in popular areas.

Low season (May, June, September-November)
Rain season. May and June see peak temperatures in many areas. September is usually the rainiest month on the Gulf and Pacific coasts. Powerful tropical cyclones often occur.

General information about the climate

In the north of Mexico the climate is subtropical, in the rest of the country - tropical. In the area of ​​the resort of Acapulco on the Pacific coast, the daytime temperature throughout the year does not fall below 30°C, and the night temperature is 21-24°C.

The Caribbean coast is a little cooler. AT winter months during the day the air warms up to 24°С, and in summer up to 31°С, in winter the night temperature is about 19°С, and in summer 25°С.

In the central regions of Mexico on high ground in April and May, the maximum air temperature is fixed at around 27 ° C, and at night the air can cool down to 11 ° C. In winter, the air temperature during the day does not exceed 21°C, at night - about 7°C.

In the northern part of the country, in mountainous areas, temperatures can drop to 0°C in winter.

General characteristics of the climate of Mexico

Mexico is a North American country Northern part which is located in the subtropical climatic zone, and the rest of the territory lies in the tropical.

But, despite this, the climate of the country is very diverse. Big influence it is affected by the latitude of the place, the height above sea level, the proximity of the oceans, the location relative to the mountains and air currents.

In winter, in the north of the country the air temperature is somewhat lower than in its southern regions. Average temperatures during the year are +20…+24 degrees.

But, there are also climatic differences that are clearly visible between the state of Durango and Baja California.

The state of Durango had the most low temperature air with a mark of -26 degrees, and the highest was observed in the state of Mexicali +50 degrees.

Due to tropical cyclones, Mexico has dry and wet periods. Cyclones bring heavy rainfall.

Remark 1

In terms of climatology, the country is located in the hurricane belt, which affect coastal areas from June to November.

On the Pacific coast, hurricanes are less powerful and less frequent. They bring down their colossal power on the coast:

• caribbean,
• Gulf of Mexico.

The climate of the northwestern part of the country is dry continental; the territory is not protected from the winds that blow from the central parts North America.

January temperatures range from +10 degrees in the northwest to +25 degrees in the south.

In the north of the Mexican Highlands can penetrate cold air, then the air temperature drops to -20 degrees. In July average temperature on the elevated flat areas of the highlands +15, and on the coast of the Gulf of California +30 degrees.

In the north, precipitation during the year is 100-200 mm, on the windward southern slopes of the mountains up to 2000-3000 mm.

A hot humid climatic zone has formed on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, the temperature fluctuation here goes from +15.6 to +40 degrees.

At an altitude between 600 and 1800 m there is a hot arid area with a January temperature of +16.7 degrees, the July temperature here is +21.1 degrees.

At an altitude of 1830 m to 2700 m there is a cool climate zone.

The temperate semi-humid climate is characterized by temperatures from +10 to +20 degrees and with precipitation up to 1000 mm.

Precipitation of the humid hot and semi-humid hot type of climate reaches 1500 mm, and heavy showers are observed in summer, and sometimes throughout the year. Temperature +24, +26 degrees. This type of climate was formed on the flat coasts of the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean and part of the Yucatan Peninsula.

In the interior of Mexico, the dry tropical climate has its variations. It is distributed between the Western and Eastern Sierra Madre, the Balsas and Palopaapan high mountain river basins, in certain regions of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the Yucatan Peninsula.

In these areas, climatic conditions in terms of aridity and high temperatures are extreme.

Characteristics of the climate of the Mexican Highlands

Most of Mexico in the north is occupied by the Mexican Highlands, located mainly within tropical climate, but the nature of its climate is completely different.

Here, the western transfer of air masses is replaced by the trade wind circulation, and it determines other patterns in the formation of vertical zonality and in the distribution of moisture.

Moisture is transported from the east or southeast, so forest landscapes predominate in the southeastern part.

Its northwestern part is distinguished by aridity, where deserts and semi-deserts have formed. The development of nature took place in arid conditions, and part of the mountainous country lost flow into the ocean.

During the year, on most of the highlands, precipitation does not exceed 500 mm. This is much less than the amount that could evaporate. annual runoff in the north of the highlands, only 3% of the total precipitation, which indicates the scarcity of water resources.

East trade winds and equatorial monsoons provide moisture to the southeastern highlands, so there is lush forest vegetation, fast rivers and rugged terrain.

Since the climatic conditions in this part are stable, the resulting flora is unique and has more than 8 thousand endemics, the dominant among which are succulents - plants that have special tissues for water storage.

The northern part of the Mexican Highlands resembles the Great Basin.

In this area, there are more flat areas, called the Northern Mesa, the average height of which is about 1500 m. Its climate is continental arid. Summer temperatures reach +40 degrees, and frosts are possible in winter. In some places in Mesa, the amount of precipitation is reduced to 100 mm. The territory is irrigated by small rivers, which either become shallow or disappear altogether in summer.

The south of the Mexican Highlands is higher, on average 2000 m - this is the Central Mesa, with its characteristic high seismicity and modern volcanism.

The climate becomes more humid, there are permanent streams. In the south of the Mexican Highlands there are a number of powerful volcanoes, among them Orizaba, Popocatepetl, Colima.

Dangerous meteorological phenomena

The natural and climatic conditions of Mexico create the basis for regular attacks from the elements of nature.

The coast is subject to frequent hurricanes, bringing with them severe storms and floods.

Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are associated with mountains. But in spite of everything, people continue to live on this earth.

Hurricanes are a movement of air that has great strength and speed and can last up to two weeks, hitting areas thousands of kilometers away.

Remark 2

Storms are also the movement of air at speeds above 15 m/s. Storms are often accompanied by heavy rains, their duration is determined by a couple of hours, and sometimes several days.

The strength of the wind and its speed become less when it encounters natural obstacles in its path. The danger associated with storms is the surge of water, the level of which rises by several meters and destroys the coastline.

Heavy rains, hurricanes and cyclones can flood the area - these are floods.

Over the past 50 years, the worst floods and landslides have been caused by tropical storms Manuel and Ingrid. About 60,000 people were evacuated from dangerous areas.

Tectonic movements taking place in earth's crust cause earthquakes and volcanic activity. Mexico is in a zone of frequent earthquakes and numerous active volcanoes.

So, on September 19, 2017, a strong earthquake occurred in the city of Puebla de Zaragoza, which claimed the lives of 370 people, and more than 6,000 people were injured of varying degrees of severity.

Remark 3

Located in a mountainous area, Mexico is exposed to another natural element - volcanic activity, which bring great trouble. The famous Popocatepetl volcano, during its eruption, throws out a huge column of ash and hot particles that cover settlements dense layer.

Mexico or the United Mexican States is an incredible country for tourists of all kinds to visit. For lovers of a comfortable stay, who want to soak up the sun and feel the caressing hugs warm sea there are ultra-modern hotels and luxurious beaches of the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Adventure seekers, "discoverers" seeking to unravel the secrets of ancient civilizations are looking forward to the archaeological sites of ancient Indian cultures. Maybe on a hot Mexican day you will be able to unravel the secret of the calendar system created by the Mayan civilization. For fans of the wonders of nature, the country has prepared snow-capped volcanoes, a unique natural aquarium with exotic fish, which is located in a mountain cave, an incredible variety of cacti from the arid north and tropical forests immersed in greenery in the south. For hunters to eat delicious food and notably have fun, there is always the opportunity to celebrate some national event, or a fiesta, or a local saint's day, and in numerous taquerias to taste the most popular dish in Mexico - tacos. But in order not to spoil your vacation with wet boots, or even worse with your nose, it is better to find out about the peculiarities of the climate of this country before leaving.

Climate and its determining influence on the weather of the country

The climate of Mexico is determined by several factors at once. Firstly, this country occupies a large territory and is located in two climatic zones: the northern part - in the subtropical, southern - in the tropical. Secondly, the weather is highly dependent on the nature of the relief, and on the territory of Mexico, altitudinal zones are clearly expressed. And finally, from the east (Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea) and from the west (Pacific Ocean) wet air masses, which abundantly irrigate coastal regions with rain.

The climatic diversity of Mexico is amazing - from the dry cool climate of the northwestern part, the cold and snowy highland belts to the humid hot (sometimes extremely hot) climate of the coastal plain. Average annual temperature in the northern part of the country it ranges from +20°С to +24°С, and in the southern part - on the coasts of the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea - from +24°С to +28°С. As paradoxical as it sounds for a resident northern hemisphere, but winter in Mexico is best time for beach holiday: summer heat recedes, tropical rainy season behind; water and air temperatures are ideal for a comfortable stay. On the coast at this time of the year, the air temperature during the day is from +27°С to +32°С, at night +19°С to 24°С, the water temperature is from +24°С to +29°С. Concerning northern regions, then the air temperature in the winter season there drops below 20 ° C, and in the mountains the temperature can drop even below 0 ° C and snow lies on the peaks until the onset of spring. Summer in the southern part of Mexico is a very hot season, the air temperature can reach + 40 ° C, swimming does not bring much pleasure, because. the difference between the temperature of water and air is not significant.

Seasons in Mexico and comfort of rest

I must say that the usual for a person from a moderate climate zone the division into holiday seasons for Mexico is uncharacteristic. In this country tourist season lasts all year round. From mid-autumn to the end of spring, rest will be a joy for those who love dry weather. warm weather but that is if you stay on the coast. If you decide to visit the central regions, for example the capital, then it is better to take care of warm clothes, at this time it is cool there, frosts also occur.

Summer and the beginning of autumn are suitable for lovers of heat and high humidity air, powerful short showers, most often in the afternoon or at night, which are replaced by the scorching summer sun and the “sauna” effect is provided. It happens that most of the precipitation falls within one week, and dry weather sets in the rest of the time.

Since Mexico is located in the hurricane region, there is a high risk of hurricanes in coastal areas from June to November. And if from the Pacific Ocean hurricanes appear not very often and not of great strength, then on the east coast hurricanes bring strong winds, heavy rains, and, unfortunately, even destruction. There have been cases when a hurricane destroyed buildings and caused floods in cities along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Flora and fauna of Mexico as a result climatic features countries

How incredible and varied the climate of Mexico is, just as rich and great is the animal and vegetable world this country. Here you can see: cacti, yucca, agave - in the north; palms, rubber and olive trees in the south, and majestic oaks, pines and firs on the mountain slopes. The country has more than a dozen nature reserves and over 50 national parks. From predatory animals there are wolves, coyotes, ocelots, jaguars, cougars and bears. Seals and turtles live on the coast, and in tropical forests- iguanas and rattlesnakes. In winter, Mexico has an abundance of birds that have chosen this country as their wintering ground: multi-colored small hummingbirds, imposing pink flamingos, restless motley parrots, thoughtful toucans with an unimaginable beak.

And they all adorn the incredible country of Mexico.

When to go to Mexico?

Mexico is waiting for you at any time of the year, it is ready to provide a vacation to your aesthetic taste; for your unimaginable fantasy and thirst for discovery. It will reveal to you the secrets of ancient Indian civilizations and caress you with the endless ocean.

Mexico - independent country in the southern part of North America, located in the widest part of the isthmus south of the US border, connecting two continents: North and South America. Area - 1.97 million km 2 (13th place in the world), population - 121 million people, density - 62 people / km 2. The capital is Mexico City, the major cities are Guadalajara, Puebla, Ecatepec de Morelos.

Geographic characteristics

Mexico is located on the territory east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, it includes part of the Yucatan Peninsula (12% of the country), the country occupies most of Central America. The area of ​​the country is 1.97 million km 2 , including 6 thousand km 2 of the island territories of the Pacific Ocean (Guadeloupe and Revilla-Hihedo), islands in the Gulf of Mexico and California, and the Caribbean Sea. The northern borders with the United States have a length of 3141 km, the southern neighbors of Mexico are Guatemala and Belize (the length of the border is 871 km and 251 km, respectively).

Nature

The northern and central part of the country lies within the Mexican Highlands, in the north turning into the Great Plains plateau in the United States. In the east, from north to south, the Eastern Sierre Madre Eastern mountain range stretches, in the west in the same direction - Western Sierre Madre, this is a continuation of the Rocky Mountains, mostly located in the United States. In the center, from east to west, the ridges of the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt are extended under the general name of the Sierra Nevada. Here are located Mountain peaks like the stratovolcanoes of Orizaba (5.7 thousand m, highest point countries) and Nevado de Toluca (4.6 thousand m), the active volcano Popocatepetl (5.4 thousand m). Only a third of the country falls on flat surfaces, the largest on the Yucatan Peninsula and the flat lowlands are located mainly in strips along the Pacific coast and the Gulf of Mexico ...

Rivers and lakes

More than 150 river flows flow through Mexico, most of them belong to the Pacific Ocean, 1/3 flows into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The largest river in Mexico - Rio Bravo del Note (3034 km) originates in the United States and is called the Rio Grande there. It moisturizes the driest Mexican lands, along its channel in the north of the country there is a border with the United States. Most of the rivers that originate in the Western Sierra Madre get lost in the arid zone and disappear. The main river of the center of Mexico, the Lerma, flows into the freshwater lake Chapala (area 1.1 thousand km 2, location - 45 km from the city of Guadalajara in the southwest of the country), carrying its waters from it to the Pacific Ocean already under the name Rio Grande de Santiago. Other major rivers are Balsas, Grijalva, Usumacinta, Conchos (the only tributary of the Rio Bravo del Note) ...

Ocean, bay and sea surrounding Mexico

The western part of Mexico is washed by the Gulf of California of the Pacific Ocean, the eastern part by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean ...

Plants and animals of Mexico

The variety of climatic conditions in the country determine the diversity of flora and fauna. In the north of Mexico, in dry areas, a large number of cacti, agave, yucca, mesquite trees grow, wolves, coyotes, a large number of rattlesnakes and lizards live here. In hot tropical zones, dense tropical vegetation grows, represented by palm trees, rubber trees, and olive trees. Oaks, pines and spruces grow on the slopes of the mountains, there are bears, cougars, ocelots, jaguars. Seals, turtles, many birds live on the coasts of the oceans...

Climate of Mexico

The territory of Mexico lies in two climatic zones, its northern part is in the subtropical climatic zone, the rest of the country is in the tropical.

Most of the northern territories on the border with the United States, from the Pacific Ocean to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and the central regions of the country are in arid conditions (precipitation is about 250-300 mm per year), more precipitation falls in the south, their amount reaches up to 600 in Mexico City mm, a sufficient amount of precipitation (up to 2000 mm) receives the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the land of Yucatan. The rainy season lasts from May to October, often powerful tropical cyclones occur here.

Climatic conditions countries largely depend on the height above sea level and change depending on this factor. Coastal plains 900 meters above sea level have a humid and hot climate (temperature from +19 °C to +49 °C), this is the so-called hot zone. At an altitude of 900 to 1800 m there is a temperate zone with temperatures of +17 ° C, +21 ° C, above cold region, it is quite cool here - about +16 °C...

Resources

Natural resources of Mexico

Mexico has significant reserves of such fuel and energy resources as oil (fourth place in the world in the production of crude oil), natural gas, coking coal. There are also large reserves iron ore, ores of non-ferrous and precious metals, Mexico has the 1st place in the world in the extraction and export of silver, fluorspar, the country is the world's main exporter of mercury, antimony, cadmium, zinc, manganese ...

Mexico is among the developed industrial and agricultural countries with the most developed economies among countries Latin America. The leading sectors of its industry are mining, energy, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering, chemistry and oil refining, food and light industries.

Crop production is the leading industry of the Mexican Agriculture. The main crops grown are wheat, corn, soybeans, rice, beans, coffee, fruits, tomatoes, cotton...

culture

Peoples of Mexico

The culture of the Mexican people is a mixture of Spanish culture and the pre-Columbian culture of the ancient Indian tribes (Aztec, Maya). The customs, traditions and beliefs of Catholic Europe coexist peacefully with the culture of the ancient Indian civilization. In the artistic art of Mexico, frescoes, unique wall paintings, the development of which was greatly influenced by the architecture and art of the Aztecs and Maya, gained the greatest popularity and fame. Such famous Mexican artists as Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros worked in the fresco technique. Mexican surrealist artist Frida Kahlo is originally from Mexico.

As in any Catholic country, a very large number of religious holidays are celebrated in Mexico, the largest of them are Christmas, Easter, almost every village has its own patron saints, in whose honor local holidays are held with songs, dances, carnival processions. One of the most amazing Mexican holidays, in which the beliefs and traditions of the ancient peoples of Mexico and their descendants are closely intertwined, is the Day of the Dead (November 1-2). This kind of purely Mexican holiday, dedicated to the memory of dead people, it shows that death should be treated lightly and without fear. It does without tears and lamentations, on the contrary, it is one of the most fun days of the year, when after the traditional visit to the graves of their ancestors, people forget about their sorrows, put on bright carnival costumes, eat sweet skulls made of sugar icing and entertain themselves and others with entertaining figures. toy skeletons, which are the main characters of this holiday.