
Mexico belongs geographically to North-America, ethnological it belongs to Latin
America. Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. About
70% of the people live in urban areas. According to some estimates, the population
of the area around Mexico City is about 18 million, which would make it the largest
concentration of population in the Western Hemisphere.
Highly developed cultures, including those of the Olmecs, Mayas, Toltecs, and
Aztecs existed in this aerea long before the Spanish conquest.
The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule
for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century.
A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering
the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive
recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment
for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few
advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished
southern states.
(Source: various sources)
border countries: Belize, Guatemala,
USA
related countries: Spain