Only three countries lie in North America – Canada, the United States and Mexico. Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, although the people here didn’t always speak Spanish. For thousands of years, native Indians lived here and built great cities. The people had advanced systems of language, education and calendars. They had clever ways of raising food.
When the Spanish conquistadors led by the explorer Hernan Cortes arrived in the 1500s, the old ways of life changed. The Aztec and Mayan empires were destroyed. Many people died from diseases the Spanish colonists brought with them. Spain ruled Mexico until she gained her independence in 1821. Since then, the country has struggled to rise above poverty.
Fun Facts about Mexico for Kids
- The northern part of Mexico is a desert. Similar to southern Arizona, this part of Mexico has saguaro cactus, scorpions and rattlesnakes. Water is scarce here.
- Southern Mexico is a tropical rain forest. Most people live in the middle of the country.
- Mexico is a very crowded country. There are over 127 million people living here.
- Over 50 percent of the population is under the age of 18. That means there are many children in Mexico. It is hard to raise enough food to feed all the people who live here. Mexico must buy food from other countries.
- The capital city of Mexico is Mexico City. Mexico City is a very polluted city but the government are trying to improve conditions.
- Mexico has over 1,964,375 square miles of land.
- People here speak Spanish, Mayan and other native languages.
- Most people here are Roman Catholic. However, many of the old Indian traditions remain.
- Lopez Obrador is the current president of Mexico (information based July 1st 2018).
- Pico de Orizaba is Mexico’s tallest mountain standing at 5,636 m
- Mexico City lies dangerously close to one of the worlds most dangerous volcanoes “Popocatepetl”. It is 70 km south west of Mexico City with over 20 million people living there.
- Rio Grande is the longest river in Mexico flowing for 3,108 km – it begins in Colorado United States and travels the long journey to the Gulf of Mexico.
- With a surface area of over 420 square miles Lake Chapala is Mexico’s largest freshwater lake.
- Mexican Peso is the currency in Mexico although the US$ is widely accepted.
- The Mexican border shared with the US is the 2nd largest border in the world after the Canadian / US border.
- By total area Mexico is the 14th largest country in the world.
- Mexico is also prone to earthquakes and sits in one of the most dangerous earthquake zones named “The Ring of Fire”.
- Do you love dogs? Well one of the smallest dogs in the world the “Chihuahua” is named after a Mexican State.
- The color TV system was invented by a Mexican named Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena in 1942.
- A new species of dinosaur named Acantholipan gonzal was discovered in 2018. It is the oldest dinosaur fossil to be found in Mexico and it is estimated that it roamed around over 85 million years ago.
Mexico Vocabulary
- Advanced: complex, difficult
- Clever: smart, wise
- Destroy: ruin
- Independence: freedom
- Poverty: lack of money, food and resources
- Scarce: limited
All About Mexico Video for Kids
Check out this cool video about Mexico for kids:
This animated video shows facts about Mexico.
Mexico Q&A
Question: What is the culture and food like in Mexico?
Answer: Many of the old customs and traditions remain, although they’re blended with Spanish traditions. Each village has a patron saint and each patron saint has his or her own special day. The people celebrate each saint’s day with a fiesta, or festival. There are 115 saints, which means a lot of parties.
Embroidery and weaving are traditional crafts. Women embroider and weave brightly colored fabrics with birds and flowers. Chiles, onions, corn, beans, and tortillas made from corn are the most common foods. Mexicans mix chocolate with chiles to make a delicious sauce called mole. This sauce is served with meat and chicken.
Map of Mexico
Here’s a map of the country of Mexico and all its cities and villages. Zoom in to get into street level or zoom out to see other countries around Mexico! You can see the terrain, but also see the roads, images of the buildings and even take a 3D tour through the streets of the cities of Mexico, as though you are actually there!
Enjoyed the Geography for Kids all about Mexico info? Take the FREE & fun all about Mexico quiz and download FREE Mexico worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.
