Location:MiddleAmerica, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, betweenBelize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, betweenGuatemala and the US
Geographic coordinates:23 00 N, 102 00 W
Map references:North America
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: 4,353 km border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
Coastline:9,330 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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: 12.66% permanent crops: 1.28% other: 86.06% (2005)Irrigated land:63,200 sq km (2003)Total renewable water resources:457.2 cu km (2000)Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):total: 78.22 cu km/yr (17%/5%/77%) per capita: 731 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:tsunamisalong the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in thecenter and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, andCaribbean coasts
Environment - current issues:scarcityof hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration;natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north,inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; rawsewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas;deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deterioratingagricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the nationalcapital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence inValley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues
Environment - international agreements:partyto: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, ShipPollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:strategiclocation on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world'smajor grain crops, is thought to have originated in
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