Geography & environment — Mexico
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Mexico: North America
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
North America
- Geographic Coordinates
23 00 N, 102 00 W
- Total Area
758,445 Square Miles 1,964,375 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
750,557 Square Miles 1,943,945 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
7,888 Square Miles 20,430 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
2,705 Miles 4,353 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, United States 3,141 km
- Coastline
5,797 Miles 9,330 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
- High, rugged mountains
- low coastal plains
- high plateaus
- desert
- Highest Point
5,700 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Volcán Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
- Lowest Point
-10 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Laguna Salada -10 m
- Natural Resources
Petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber
- Irrigated Land
24,942 Square Miles 64,600 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: Mexico has four time zones
- Daylight saving time
DST was permanently removed in October 2022
Climate
- Climate
With a climate that varies from tropical to desert, the terrain ranges from high rugged mountains to low coastal plains and high plateaus to desert. Mexican natural hazards include tsunamis on the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes at the center and south, and hurricanes on the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean coasts.
- Terrain
- High, rugged mountains
- low coastal plains
- high plateaus
- desert
- Location
North America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the United States and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the United States
- Total Area
758,445 Square Miles 1,964,375 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, United States 3,141 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
Scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities
rural to urban migration
natural freshwater resources scarce and polluted in the north, inaccessible and poor quality in the center and extreme southeast
raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas
deforestation
widespread erosion
desertification
deteriorating agricultural lands
serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border
land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion Note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues
- Environment - International Agreements
Party To: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements