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Do you like high mountains, deserts, rain forests, or sandy beaches and palm trees by the ocean? Whichever suits you, Mexico has it somewhere.
Mexico is a land of huge contrasts. It has lowlands and highlands, with a plateau in the middle. It also has plenty of excitement going on under the ground. Mexico’s Pacific Coast is part of the area known as the Ring of Fire. It is called the Ring of Fire because earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur more often on this ring than anywhere else in the world. From time to time, earthquakes will shake the ground, and volcanoes will spit fiery lava. But don’t let that stop you from visiting. Decades or centuries may go by before one of Mexico’s mountains pops its top again.
▲ Mexico’s three major mountain ranges make up the Sierra Madre, or “mother range.” Two of them, the Sierra Madre Occidental (above) and the Sierra Madre Oriental, extend along the east and west coasts. The third range is the Sierra Madre del Sur. It is located on Mexico’s southern coast.
◀ Between the mountain ranges sits a high, flat plateau. This area has the richest soil, the mildest climate, the most people, the biggest city, and the most volcanoes.
▲ Mexico’s desert regions lie in the northern part of the country. The Sonoran Desert (above) is home to many cacti, shrubs, and animals, including the Mexican gray wolf (el lobo) and the great horned owl. Covering some 200,000 square miles, the Chihuahuan (chee-WAH-wahn) Desert is the largest desert in North America.
Earth’s crust consists of huge slabs of rock called tectonic plates. Four of these plates meet under the mountains close to the capital, Mexico City. When the plates collide, an earthquake can result, so Mexico City schools have regular earthquake drills. In 1985, a powerful earthquake destroyed part of the city, killing 9,500 people. ▶
▲ Along the coasts of Mexico, you’ll find sandy beaches. Many of these places, such as Acapulco (above), have become world-famous tourist resorts.
◀ Both southern and central Mexico have tropical rain forests. At one time, such forests covered approximately one-tenth of Mexico. However, about 70 years ago, the forests began to be cleared to make way for farms, lumber operations, cattle ranches, and oil drilling. Mexico’s largest remaining rain forest is in Chiapas, the most southern state. It has more than 4,000 species of plants and many varieties of birds and insects, including 800 species of butterflies. There are also animals such as jaguars, ocelots, and howler monkeys.
