Free Essays on Mexico

Mexico Country Profile Country Formal Name: United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicans). Short Form: Mexico. Term for Citizen(s): Mexican(s). Capital: Mexico City (called Mà ©Ãƒ ©xico or Ciudad de Mà ©Ãƒ ©xico in country). Date of Independence: September 16, 1810 (from Spain). National Holidays: May 5, commemorating the victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla; September 16, Independence Day. Mexico Geography Size: 1,972,550 square kilometersthird largest nation in Latin America (after Brazil and Argentina). Topography: Various massive mountain ranges including Sierra Madre Occidental in west, Sierra Madre Oriental in east, Cordillera Neovolcnica in center, and Sierra Madre del Sur in south; lowlands largely along coasts and in Yucatan Peninsula. Interior of country high plateau. Frequent seismic activity. Drainage: Few navigable rivers. Most rivers short and run from mountain ranges to coast. Climate: Great variations owing to considerable north-south extension and variations in altitude. Most of the country has two seasons: wet (June-September) and dry (October-April). Generally low rainfall in interior and north. Abundant rainfall along east coast, in south, and in Yucatan Peninsula. Society Population: Estimated population of 94.8 million persons in mid-1996. Annual rate of growth 1.96 percent. Language: Spanish official language, spoken by nearly all. About 8 percent of population speaks an indigenous language; most of these people speak Spanish as second language. Knowledge of English increasing rapidly, especially among business people, the middle class, returned emigrants, and the young. Ethnic Groups: Predominantly mestizo society (60 percent); 30 percent indigenous; 9 percent European; 1 percent other. Education and Literacy: Secretariat of Public Education has overall responsibility for all levels of education system. Compulsory education to age sixteen; public education ... Free Essays on Mexico Free Essays on Mexico Mexico Country Profile Country Formal Name: United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicans). Short Form: Mexico. Term for Citizen(s): Mexican(s). Capital: Mexico City (called Mà ©Ãƒ ©xico or Ciudad de Mà ©Ãƒ ©xico in country). Date of Independence: September 16, 1810 (from Spain). National Holidays: May 5, commemorating the victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla; September 16, Independence Day. Mexico Geography Size: 1,972,550 square kilometersthird largest nation in Latin America (after Brazil and Argentina). Topography: Various massive mountain ranges including Sierra Madre Occidental in west, Sierra Madre Oriental in east, Cordillera Neovolcnica in center, and Sierra Madre del Sur in south; lowlands largely along coasts and in Yucatan Peninsula. Interior of country high plateau. Frequent seismic activity. Drainage: Few navigable rivers. Most rivers short and run from mountain ranges to coast. Climate: Great variations owing to considerable north-south extension and variations in altitude. Most of the country has two seasons: wet (June-September) and dry (October-April). Generally low rainfall in interior and north. Abundant rainfall along east coast, in south, and in Yucatan Peninsula. Society Population: Estimated population of 94.8 million persons in mid-1996. Annual rate of growth 1.96 percent. Language: Spanish official language, spoken by nearly all. About 8 percent of population speaks an indigenous language; most of these people speak Spanish as second language. Knowledge of English increasing rapidly, especially among business people, the middle class, returned emigrants, and the young. Ethnic Groups: Predominantly mestizo society (60 percent); 30 percent indigenous; 9 percent European; 1 percent other. Education and Literacy: Secretariat of Public Education has overall responsibility for all levels of education system. Compulsory education to age sixteen; public education ... Free Essays on Mexico Mexican Economy I. Historical, Population, Culture, Political, and Economic Information History Mexico was the site of some of the earliest and most advanced civilizations in the western hemisphere. The Mayan culture, according to archaeological research, attained its greatest development about the 6th century AD. Another group, the Toltec, established an empire in the Valley of Mexico and developed a great civilization still evidenced by the ruins of magnificent buildings and monuments. The leading tribe, the Aztec, built great cities and developed an intricate social, political, and religious organization. Their civilization was highly developed, both intellectually and artistically. The first European explorer to visit Mexican territory was Francisco Fernndez de Cà ³rdoba, who in 1517 discovered traces of the Maya in Yucatn. In 1535, some years after the fall of the Aztec capital, the basic form of colonial government in Mexico was instituted with the appointment of the first Spanish viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza. A distinguishing characteristic of colonial Mexico was the exp loitation of the Native Americans. Although thousands of them were killed during the Spanish conquest, they continued to be the great majority of inhabitants of what was referred to as New Spain, speaking their own languages and retaining much of their native culture. Inevitably they became the laboring class. Their plight was the result of the 'encomienda' system, by which Spanish nobles, priests, and soldiers were granted not only large tracts of land but also jurisdiction over all Native American residents. A second characteristic of colonial Mexico was the position and power of the Roman Catholic church. Franciscan, Augustinian, Dominican, and Jesuit missionaries entered the country with the conquistadores. The Mexican church became enormously wealthy through gifts and bequests that could be held in perpetuity. Before 1859, when church holdings were n... Free Essays on Mexico Mexico is an interesting place to visit. There’s so many things to do and places to see it’s unbelievable. Mexico is made up of 24 states which are Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Durango, Sinaloa, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Mexico City, Colima, Michoacan, Veracruz, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Chipas, Cameche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan. The weather is not always great in Mexico. It’s either going to be extremely hot or extremely cold. May thru October seem to be the hot spots. The temperature can go up to 110 degrees. It gets to that point from June to August. May, September, and October it gets to 99-100 degrees. December to April it can get extremely cold. December and January are the coldest months. A lot of people fear these months because they have no heaters or boilers to keep them warm. People who don’t have boilers must heat their water in a bucket on the stove to get hot water. They have no fireplace to keep them warm either. During the summer they just settle taking showers with cold water which isn’t to bad considering the heat. The weather varies a lot as far as rain. It’s kind of like Houston. One day it’s sunshine and the next day it’s stormy and raining hard. It’s unpredictable, but you will know when it is summer and when it is winter. Education in Mexico is extremely strict. No one takes advantage. What I mean by that is that it being a poor country everyone wants to come on top. Of course everyone wants to do something with himself or herself, but Mexican parents are strict towards their children's education. Their education is more advanced than ours. What we learn our freshmen year they have learned it in eight grade. You recite the pledge of Allegiance every Monday. Everyone must stand up and honor their country. If you slack off you get suspended which looks extremely bad on your transcript. T here’s no air cond... Free Essays on Mexico A. Introduction Mexico is an often-overlooked country. It seems as if nothing important happens there that’s big enough for the media to cover. But when you look at Mexico today in an in-depth way, you find a very fascinating people and country. B. Population The Mexican population is divided into three main groups, the people of European descent, the Native Americans, and the people mixed with European and Native American descent or better known as Mestizos. Of these groups, the Mestizos are by far the Largest, making up about 60% of the people of Mexico. The Native Americans are the next largest with 30% and the Europeans the smallest with only 10%. The society is semi-industrial. The population of Mexico in the 1995 census was 93,670,000 giving the country an estimated person for about every 4 square miles. About 75% of people live in urban areas. Mexico consists of 32 administrative divisions, 31 states and the Federal District. The capital and cultural center of Mexico is Mexico City, with a population of 8,236,960 in 1990. Other important cities are Gaudalajara, population 1,628,617, Netzahaulcoyotl, population 1,256,115, Monterrey, population 1,064,197, Puebla, population 1,054,921, Leon, population 758,279, Cuidad Jaurez, population 798,499, and Tijuana. C. Climate Mexico is bisected by the tropic of Cancer; therefore, the Southern half is included in the Torrid Zone. In general, climate varies with elevation. The Tierra Caliante (hot land) includes the low coastal plains, extending from sea level to about 3000ft. Weather is extremely humid, with temperatures varying from 60-120 degrees. The Tierra Templata (temperature land) extends from about 3000-6000 ft. with average temperatures of 62-70 degrees. The Tierra Friar (cold land) extends from 6000-9000 ft. with average temperatures of 53-65 degrees. Mexico is a wonderful place....