SECTION

1 Physical
Geography
TEKS 3A, 3B, 3C, 4D, 4E, 4F, 5A, 5B,
5C, 6A, 6B, 21B, 21C, 22D

What You Will Learn… If YOU lived there...

Main Ideas You live on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Sunny weather and good beaches
1. Mexico’s physical features bring tourists year-round. Now you are on your way to visit a cousin
include plateaus, mountains,
in Puebla, in the highlands. To get there, you will have to take a bus
and coastal lowlands.
2. Mexico’s climate and vegeta- along the winding roads of the steep Sierra Madre Occidental. This
tion include deserts, tropical
rugged mountain range runs along the coast. You have never been
forests, and cool highlands.
3. Key natural resources in to the interior of Mexico before.
Mexico include oil, silver,
gold, and scenic landscapes. What landscapes will you see on your trip?

The Big Idea

Mexico is a large country with
different natural environments in Building Background Mexico is part of Latin America, a region
its northern, central, and south- in the Western Hemisphere where Spanish and Portuguese culture
ern regions.
shaped life. Mexico is also part of North America, along with the
United States and Canada. Unlike its northern neighbors, Mexico’s
Key Terms and Places landscape consists mainly of highlands and coastal plains.
Río Bravo (Rio Grande), p. 192
peninsula, p. 192
Baja California, p. 192
Gulf of Mexico, p. 192 Physical Features
Yucatán Peninsula, p. 192 Mexico, our neighbor to the south, shares a long border with
Sierra Madre, p. 193
the United States. Forming part of this border is one of Mexico’s
few major rivers, the Río Bravo. In the United States this river is
called the Rio Grande. At other places along the U.S.–Mexico
border it is impossible to tell where one country ends and the
Use the graphic organizer online other country begins.
to organize your notes on Mexico’s
physical geography.
Bodies of Water
Locate Mexico on the map on the following page and see that,
except for its border with the United States, Mexico is mostly
surrounded by water. Mexico’s border in the west is the Pacific
Ocean. Stretching south into the Pacific Ocean from northern
Mexico is a narrow peninsula, or piece of land surrounded on
three sides by water, called Baja California. To the east, Mexico’s
border is the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico is separated
from the Caribbean Sea by a part of Mexico called the Yucatán
(yoo-kah-tahn) Peninsula.

192 Chapter 8
 Mexico: Physical

UNITED STATES
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Plateaus and
­mountains cover
much of Mexico.
Here, the volcano
HRW Middle School World Geography Popocatépetl rises
mg7fvs_mexmap003ca above a mountain
Mexico Physical Legend valley. Many people
Replacement Final pass – 7/13/05 live and farm in the
Plateaus and Mountains mountain
valleys.
Much of the interior landscape of Mexico
consists of a high, mostly rugged region
called the Mexican Plateau. The plateau’s
lowest point is more than a half mile above HRW Middle Schoo
sea level. Its highest point is close to two mg7
miles above sea level. The entire plateau Between the two ranges in the south F OCUS ON
spreads between two mountain ranges lies the Valley of Mexico. Mexico City, R EADING
the country’s capital, is located there. The What do you think
that rise still higher. One range, the Sierra
the text will
Madre Oriental, lies in the east. The other, mountains south of Mexico City include discuss next?
the Sierra Madre Occidental, lies in the towering, snowcapped volcanoes. Volcanic
west. Together, these two mountain ranges eruptions, as well as earthquakes, are a
and another shorter one in southern threat there. The volcano Popocatépetl
Mexico make up the Sierra Madre (syer-rah (poh-puh-cah-te-pet-uhl) near Mexico City
mah-dray), or “mother range.” has been active as recently as 2010.

mexico 193
 Coastal Lowlands Climate and Vegetation
From the highlands in central Mexico, the From snowcapped mountain peaks to
land slopes down to the coasts. Beautiful, warm, sunny beaches, Mexico has many
sunny beaches stretch all along Mexico’s different climates. You can see Mexico’s
eastern and western coasts. The plain that climate regions on the map below. This
runs along the west coast is fairly wide great variety of climates results in several
in the north. It becomes narrower in the different types of vegetation.
south. On the east side of the country, the In some areas, changes in elevation
A CADEMIC
V OCABULARY Gulf coastal plain is wide and flat. The soils cause climates to vary widely within a
vary to be and climate there are good for farming. short distance. For example, the areas of
different Locate the Yucatán Peninsula on the high elevation on the Mexican Plateau
map on the previous page. As you can see can have surprisingly cool temperatures.
this region is also mostly flat. Limestone At times, freezing temperatures reach as far
rock underlies much of the area. Erosion south as Mexico City—even though it is
there has created caves and sinkholes, located in the tropics. Mexico’s mountain
steep-sided depressions that form when valleys generally have mild climates, and
the roof of a cave collapses. Many of these many people have settled there.
sinkholes are filled with water. The valleys along Mexico’s southern
coastal areas also have pleasant climates.
R eading C heck Summarizing What are
Warm temperatures and a summer rainy
Mexico’s major physical features?
season support the forests that cover about
25 percent of Mexico’s land area. Tropical
Mexico: Climate rain forests provide a home for jaguars,
monkeys, anteaters, and other animals.
Climate Types
While most of southern Mexico is
Humid tropical
Tropical savanna
warm and humid, the climate in the
Desert northern part of the Yucatán Peninsula is
Steppe hot and dry. The main vegetation there is
Highland
scrub forest.
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0 200 400 Miles

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Mexico Climate Map N
Locator A tropical savanna climate
Final
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– 7/5/05 supports lush vegetation
S
along Mexico’s southern
15°N beaches.
100°W
105°W
110°W

95°W

HRW-MS Geography Maps

mg7fvs_mexmap005ca
Mexico Climate Legend
Regions Mexico’s climate regions range from dry to tropical.
1. Locate Where is Mexico’s desert climate located? pass – 7/22/05
Final
2. Interpret What part of Mexico probably gets the most rain?

194 Chapter 8
 Like the Yucatán Peninsula in the Another important resource is water.
south, most of northern Mexico is dry. The The refreshing water surrounding Mexico
deserts in Baja California and the northern draws many tourists to the country’s sce-
part of the plateau get little rainfall. Desert nic beaches. Unfortunately, water is limit-
plants and dry grasslands are common in ed in many parts of Mexico. Water scarcity
the north. Cougars, coyotes, and deer live is a serious issue.
in some areas of the desert.
R eading C heck Finding Main Ideas What
R eading C heck Analyzing Why does is one of Mexico’s most important resources?
Mexico City sometimes experience freezing
temperatures even though it is in the tropics?
SUmmary and PReview The natural
  
environments of Mexico range from arid
Natural Resources plateaus in the north to humid, forested
Mexico is rich in natural resources. One of mountains in the south. Next, you will
its most important resources is petroleum, study the history and culture of Mexico.
or oil. Oil reserves are found mainly under
the southern and Gulf coastal plains as well Section 1 Assessment ONLINE QUIZ
as offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico
sells much of its oil to the United States. Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and Places
Before oil was discovered in Mexico, 1. a. Describe What is the interior of Mexico like?
minerals were the country’s most valuable b. Analyze Locate Mexico on the climate map in this sec-
resource. Some gold and silver mines that tion. Do you think the Yucatán Peninsula is a good place for
farming? Use your notes and the map to explain your answer.
were begun many centuries ago are still in
2. a. Recall What is the climate like in the northern part of
operation. In addition, new mines have the Yucatán Peninsula?
been developed in Mexico’s mountains. b. Explain Why can climates sometimes vary widely within
Today Mexico’s mines produce more silver a short distance?
than any other country in the world. c. Elaborate How do you think climate and vegetation
Mexican mines also yield large amounts of affect where people live in Mexico?
3. a. Identify Where are Mexico’s oil reserves located?
copper, gold, lead, and zinc.
b. Make Inferences What problems might water scarcity
cause for Mexican citizens?
c. Geographic Questions Look at the physical map in
this section. Pose and answer a question about Mexico’s
­physical features.

Critical Thinking
4. Categorizing Draw a chart Geography
like the one here. Using your Northern Mexico
notes, list the geographical Southern Mexico
features found in northern
Mexico and southern Mexico.

Focus on Writing
5. Telling What Mexico Looks Like Locate major physical
geographic features of places and regions in Mexico on the
physical map in this section. What features will you include
in your “I Am” poem? Write notes about the physical features,
­climate and vegetation, and natural resources of Mexico.

mexico 195