Mexico

The United Mexican States[14] (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos (help·info)), commonly known as Mexico (pronounced i/ˈmɛksɨkoʊ/; Spanish: México, IPA: [ˈmexiko] ( listen)),[15] is a federalconstitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and onthe east by the Gulf of Mexico.[16] Covering almost two million square kilometres (over 760,000 sq mi),[2] Mexico is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the thirteenth largestindependent nation in the world. With an estimated population of over 112 million,[9] it is the eleventh most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country. Mexico is a federationcomprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city.

In Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, theZapotec, the Maya and the Aztec before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory from its base in México-Tenochtitlan, which was administered as theViceroyalty of New Spain. This territory would eventually become Mexico as the colony's independence was recognized in 1821. The post-independence period was characterized by economic instability, theMexican-American War and territorial cession to the United States, a civil war, two empires and a domestic dictatorship. The latter led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which culminated with thepromulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the emergence of the country's current political system. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time that an opposition party won the presidency from theInstitutional Revolutionary Party.

Mexico has one of the world's largest economies, and is considered both a regional power and middle power.[17][18] In addition, Mexico was the first Latin American...