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| | | | 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 |
| | | 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 |
| | | Coastline |
9,330 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% (~230,000 sq km) |
| permanent crops | 1% (~19,200 sq km) |
| permanent pastures | 39% (~749,000 sq km) |
| forests and woodland | 26% (~499,000 sq km) |
| other | 22% (1993 est.) (~423,000 sq km) |
| | | 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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