All about Mexico City

Mexico City, capital of Mexico and the center of the nation's political, cultural, and economic life.

Its population of 18.7 million (2003 estimate) makes Mexico City one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.

It is also the seat of Mexico's powerful, centralized federal government.

Much of the political decision-making for the nation takes place in Mexico City.

Culturally, Mexico City dominates the nation since most of Mexico's leading universities, intellectual magazines, newspapers, museums, theaters, performing arts centers, and publishing firms are located in the capital.

Mexico City is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlán, which was the capital of the Aztec Empire.

The Aztec developed an advanced civilization and dominated most of Mexico during the 15th and early 16th centuries.

In the early 16th century Spanish explorers landed in Mexico and conquered the Aztec.

The Spaniards founded Mexico City on the ruins of the Aztec capital, and it soon became the leading urban center in Spain’s American colonies.

Mexico won its independence in the 1820s, and Mexico City became the capital of the new nation.

Mexico City expanded at a phenomenal rate in the 20th century.

The metropolitan area absorbed surrounding communities and rural areas to become a sprawling, modern urban center with a thriving economy.

The city's rapid growth resulted in major urban problems, including poor housing, pollution, inadequate sanitation, and uncertain water supplies.

Mexico City falls within the jurisdiction of the Federal District (in Spanish, Distrito Federal), which is the seat of Mexico’s federal government.

The Federal District functions as the state and city government for Mexico City and the other communities within its jurisdiction.

The Federal District borders the states of Mexico on the north and Morelos on the south.

Mexico City is located in the south central portion of the country.

It lies at the southern edge of the Mexican central plateau in the Valley of Mexico, a basin at an altitude averaging 2,300 m (7,500 ft).

The Valley of Mexico is ringed by a series of mountain ranges. On the eastern edge of the basin are the permanently snow-capped twin volcanoes, Iztaccíhuatl (5,286 m/17,343 ft) and Popocatépetl (5,452 m/17,887 ft).

To the west, the mountains separate the Valley of Mexico from the Valley of Toluca and the Lerma River basin, the present source of much of the city's water.

The surrounding mountains can trap air pollution within the valley, particularly when there is a thermal inversion (warmer air passing over the valley and trapping cooler ground air beneath it).

Mexico City’s climate is fairly consistent and steady, a product of both the city's latitude, which is south of the Tropic of Cancer, and its elevation of 2,239 m (7,347 ft).

Although the city is located in a tropical climatic zone, the city's extremely high elevation produces a moderate climate with a narrow range of temperatures.

The average annual temperature is 16°C (61°F).

The coolest season runs from November to February; the coolest month is January, with average temperatures ranging from a high of 21°C (70°F) to a low of 7°C (44°F).

The warmest period is from April to June; the average temperatures in May range from a high of 26°C (78°F) to a low of 12°C (54°F).

Mexico City has a distinct rainy season from June through October, during which four-fifths of its annual 850 mm (33 in) of rainfall occurs.



(1) MEXICO CITY AND IT'S METROPOLETAN AREA
(2) POPULATION
(3) EDUCATION AND CULTURE
(4) RECREATION
(5) ECONOMY
(6) GOVERNMENT
(7) CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
(8) HISTORY