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Mexico Cruises with Carnival
Mexico, in full United Mexican States (Estados
Unidos Mexicanos in Spanish), federal republic in North America. Mexico
is the fifth largest country in the Western Hemisphere and is rich in
natural resources such as petroleum and natural gas. Mexico’s efforts to
develop and modernize its economy—one of the 15 largest in the
world—have been slowed by the nation’s rugged terrain, limited farmland,
a rapidly growing population, and a series of economic crises. The
nation’s capital, Mexico City, is one of the largest cities in the
world. In Latin America, only Brazil has a larger population than
Mexico.
Mexico is bordered by the United States on the north, the Pacific Ocean
on the west, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea on the east, and
Guatemala and Belize on the south. It is characterized by an
extraordinary diversity in topography and climate and is crossed by two
major mountain chains, the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre
Oriental. The high central plateau between these two mountain ranges
historically funneled most of the human population toward the center of
this region. Mexico features volcanic peaks, snow-capped mountains,
tropical rain forests, and internationally famous beaches. Mexico City
is an enormous metropolitan area and dominates the rest of the country’s
culture, economy, and politics. Nearly one-fifth of the nation’s
population lives in the immediate vicinity of the capital. Mexico City
is also a central hub for Mexico’s transportation network—including
railroads, highways, and airlines.
Mexico and the United States share a border that is 3,100 km (1,900 mi)
long, much of which is formed by the Río Grande, a major river known as
the Río Bravo in Mexico. This international border is the longest in the
world between an economically developing country and one with a highly
developed, industrialized economy. This proximity has influenced
Mexico’s internal and external migration patterns, prompting several
million Mexicans to move north to the border region or to the United
States itself. It has also affected the culture of both Mexico and the
United States, fostering the development of a number of communities
along the border that mix the cultures of both nations. Mexico covers an
area of 1,964,382 sq km (758,452 sq mi).
The people of Mexico reflect the country’s rich history. The Spanish
conquest of the Aztec Empire in the early 16th century soon led to
widespread intermarriage and racial mixing between Spaniards and Native
Americans. As late as the early 19th century, Native Americans accounted
for nearly two-thirds of the population in the region. During that
century, however, the racial composition of the country began to change
from one that featured distinct European (Spanish) and indigenous
populations, to one made up largely of mestizos—people of mixed Spanish
and Native American descent. By the end of the 19th century, mestizos,
who were discriminated against during three centuries of Spanish
colonization, had become the largest population group in Mexico.
Mestizos now account for about 60 percent of Mexicans.
During the colonial era, many Native Americans and mestizos adopted the
Spanish language and were converted to Roman Catholicism, the religion
of the Spanish colonizers. This has provided the country with a greater
religious and cultural homogeneity than might have been present
otherwise. The vast majority of Mexicans, about 90 percent, are Catholic
and speak Spanish. Nearly 8 percent of Mexicans continue to speak one of
many Native American languages, the most common of which is Nahuatl. In
recent years, Mexicans have moved in large numbers from rural to urban
settings; in 1999, 74 percent of Mexicans resided in urban areas, with
half of those citizens living in cities of 100,000 or more.
Mexico has a rich heritage in art and architecture and is recognized
internationally for the contributions of its 20th-century mural artists,
who created murals that reflected not only Mexico’s history and culture,
but also its current social issues. Mexico’s blend of indigenous and
European influences has affected many of its traditions and much of its
culture. This ethnic heritage has contributed to the development of
notable musical styles, folk art, and cuisine, all of which are also now
found throughout the United States.
Mexico’s economic achievements are many, but the country continues to
face many obstacles as it tries to further develop its economy.
Political instability prevented significant economic growth for much of
the 19th century. The Mexican Revolution, a major social upheaval in the
second decade of the 20th century, further delayed Mexico’s economic
expansion. Since World War II (1939-1945), the country has moved away
from an agrarian-based economy; its economy now relies heavily on light
manufacturing and exports. The country’s enormous petroleum reserves
rank it among the top ten countries in the world.
Mexico is a major exporter of crude oil and remains
one of the top producers and exporters of silver, a mineral resource
that has been important since colonial times. Although petroleum
dominated the economy in the 1960s and 1970s, recent governments have
encouraged economic diversification. Manufacturing, tourism, and
assembly industries in northern Mexico are now important sectors of the
economy. Mexico’s economy is also of major importance to the United
States, not only because of formal links through economic agreements,
such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), but also
because Mexico is the third largest trading partner of the United States
(after Canada and Japan). In turn, Mexico’s largest trading partner is
the United States.
The history of Mexico revolves around the mixing of numerous cultural,
ethnic, and political influences. These include contributions from
several major indigenous civilizations, Spanish influences from the
period of colonial rule, and a significant African heritage resulting
from the slave trade of the early colonial era. Mexico’s
postindependence period was characterized by violence and civil war,
including European intervention and a long domestic dictatorship. The
latter led to the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920)—the most important
event in 20th-century Mexican history.
This revolution would influence Mexican culture and
politics for decades to come. Mexico’s political system emerged from
this era and has provided political continuity from 1929 to the present,
a record achieved by few other governments. Its political system is
dominated by a strong president and executive branch, to the detriment
of the judicial and legislative arms of government. The government is
controlled by a single party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party,
which dominated national elective offices in Mexico for most of the 20th
century. While providing considerable stability, this political system
has delayed Mexico from moving toward greater democracy, a pattern that
most other Latin American nations followed in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The Destinations of Carnival.
There are many
DESTINATIONS making
stops in ports all over the world. See what
you can experiences on one of our Carnival Cruises.
Blue Water Cruise Guide -
Mexico
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