Destination : MEXICO

Mexico covers an area of 1,972,500 sq. km. or 761,000 sq. miles, The population of the area around Mexico City is about 20 million, the largest concentration of people in the world. The latest estimate (in 2000) has the population of Mexico at 97.4 million with an annual growth rate of 1.9%. Mexico has a chief executive (president); a bicameral legislature; a judicial system with a Supreme Court, local and federal courts; and an administrative subdivision of 31 states and one federal district. Mexico has a rapidly developing economy and has sought economic prosperity through liberalization of its trade regime. 

The capital of Mexico is Mexico City, also known in Spanish as "distrito féderal'. Other important cities are : Monterrey, Acapulco, Guadelajara, Cancun, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta.

Spanish is Mexico's predominant language, but Mexican Spanish differs from Castilian Spanish, the literary and official language of Spain, in two respects: in Mexico, the Castilian lisp has more or less disappeared, and numerous Indian words have been adopted. Around 50 Indian languages are spoken by about 5 million people in Mexico; 15% of these Indians do not speak Spanish.

Mexico has been graced with an unusually temperate climate year-round.The climate ranges from tropical to desert, and the terrain consists of coastal lowlands, central high plateaus, and mountains up to 18,000 feet.The most important thing to remember is that the Mexican summer is also the rainy season, although the rain rarely lasts more than a few hours, and typically arrives in the late afternoon. Extremes are present only in the North and in Baja, both of which have deserts where the temperature leaps above 100F. Mexico City has a year-round temperature in the high 80s, while the coasts usually stay in the mid-90s. Night time temperatures fall somewhat, but rarely break down below a comfortable 60F.

Crime in Mexico continues at high levels, and it is increasingly violent, especially in Mexico City, Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez. Low apprehension and conviction rates of criminals contribute to the high crime rate. Other metropolitan areas have lower but still serious levels of crime. Travelers should leave valuables and irreplaceable items in a safe place, or not bring them. All visitors are encouraged to make use of hotel safes when available, avoid wearing obviously expensive jewelry or designer clothing, and carry only the cash or credit cards that will be needed on each outing. Travelers are discouraged from bringing very large amounts of cash into Mexico because officials may suspect money laundering or other criminal activity. 

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