Mexico (Spanish: México [ˈmexiko] ( listen); Nahuatl languages: Mēxihco), officially
the United Mexican States (UMS; Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos, EUM[10][11][12]
[13] [esˈtaðos uˈniðos mexiˈkanos] ( listen)), is a country in the southern portion of North
America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by
the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to
the east by the Gulf of Mexico.[14] Covering almost 2,000,000 square kilometers
(770,000 sq mi),[13] the nation is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and
the 13th largest independent state in the world. With an estimated population of over 129
million people,[15] Mexico is the tenth most populous country and the most populous
Spanish-speaking country in the world, while being the second most populous nation
in Latin America after Brazil.[15] Mexico is a federation comprising 31 states plus Mexico
City (CDMX),[16] which is the capital city and its most populous city. Other metropolises in
the country include Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, and León.[17]
Pre-Columbian Mexico dates to about 8000 BC and is identified as one of six cradles of
civilization[18] and was home to many advanced Mesoamerican civilizations such as
the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec before first
contact with Europeans. In 1521, the Spanish Empire conquered and colonized the territory
from its politically powerful base in Mexico-Tenochtitlan (part of Mexico City), which was
administered as the viceroyalty of New Spain. The Roman Catholic Church played a
powerful role in governing the country as millions were converted to the faith,
although King Charles III expelled the Jesuits in the 1770s.[19] The territory became
a nation state following its recognition in 1821 after the Mexican War of Independence.
[19] The post-independence period was tumultuous, characterized by economic
inequality and many contrasting political changes. The Mexican–American War (1846–
1848) led to a territorial loss of part of the huge northern territories to the United States.
The Pastry War, the Franco-Mexican War, a civil war, two empires, and
the Porfiriato occurred in the 19th century.[19] The Porfiriato ended with the Mexican
Revolution in 1910, which culminated in the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the
emergence of an authoritarian one-party state,[20][21][22][23] once described as the "perfect
dictatorship",[24][25][26] that ruled for much of the 20th century until the opposition
victories led Mexico to democratic transition in the 1990s.[27][28][29][30]
Mexico has the 15th largest nominal GDP[31] and the 11th largest by purchasing power
parity.[32] The Mexican economy is strongly linked to those of its 1994 North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, especially the United States.[33][34] In 1994, Mexico
became the first Latin American member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD). It is classified as an upper-middle income country by the World
Bank[35] and a newly industrialized country by several analysts.[36][37][38][39] The country is
considered both a regional power and a middle power,[40][41][42][43] and is often identified
as an emerging global power.[44] Due to its rich culture and history, Mexico ranks first in
the Americas and seventh in the world for number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[45][46]
[47] Mexico is an ecologically megadiverse country, ranking fifth in the world for
its biodiversity.[48] Mexico receives a huge number of tourists every year: in 2018, it was
the sixth most-visited country in the world, with 39 million international arrivals. [49] Mexico
is a member of the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the G8+5,
the G20, the Uniting for Consensus group of the UN, and the Pacific Alliance trade bloc.
