Mexico 🇲🇽
Mexico is a country in North America with a population of 127,504,125. Its capital is Mexico City. The official currency is MXN, and the main languages are Spanish.
Quick facts
- Capital: Mexico City
- Continent: North America
- Population: 127,504,125
- Area: 1,964,375 km²
- Density: 64.9 people per km²
- Currency: MXN
- Languages: Spanish
- ISO code: MX
Where Mexico sits
Mexico 🇲🇽 is one of 23 countries in North America, with its capital at Mexico City. It covers 1,964,375 square kilometres — 13th in the world — and is home to about 127,504,125 people, 10th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include United States, Canada, Guatemala, Haiti and Dominican Republic. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Mexico compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Mexico sits closest to Japan and Ethiopia. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Indonesia and Sudan.
At 64.9 people per square kilometre it is close to the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
Spanish is an official language in 20 countries here, among them Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Colombia, and 15 others. The MXN is used by Mexico and no one else.
To see Mexico next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Mexico
Mexico City is built where the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan stood, on islands in Lake Texcoco, so the eagle on the flag points to the capital. Without the eagle, Mexico's flag would look almost the same as Italy's.
The flag of Mexico: green, white and red
🇲🇽 The flag is three vertical stripes of green, white and red, with the coat of arms in the centre: an eagle on a cactus with a snake in its beak. Green stands for hope, white for peace and honesty and red for bravery. The eagle recalls the Aztec legend of an eagle on a cactus eating a snake, the sign that showed where to found their city, Tenochtitlan.
Region and neighbours
Mexico is a country in North America, south of the United States, between the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the east. It shares land borders with 3 countries: United States, Guatemala and Belize.
- United States 🇺🇸 — capital Washington, D.C.
- Guatemala 🇬🇹 — capital Guatemala City
- Belize 🇧🇿 — capital Belmopan
Three facts about Mexico
- Mexico has more native Spanish speakers than any other country.
- Maize, tomatoes and beans were first domesticated in Mexico.
- Mexico City lies about 2,240 m above sea level and is the most populous city in North America.
Sources: Wikipedia: Mexico, Wikipedia: Flag of Mexico, Wikipedia: Mexico City, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Mexico
- North American capitals quiz — match Mexico to Mexico City
- North American flags quiz — spot the Mexico flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Mexico
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Mexico those are:
- North America map quiz — place it on a blank map
- North America flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- North America capitals quiz — match it to Mexico City
- Mexico capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Mexico
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Mexico
- Capital of Mexico: Mexico City — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 23 countries of North America
Nearby countries
- Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇬 — capital Saint John's
- Bahamas 🇧🇸 — capital Nassau
- Barbados 🇧🇧 — capital Bridgetown
- Belize 🇧🇿 — capital Belmopan
- Canada 🇨🇦 — capital Ottawa
- Costa Rica 🇨🇷 — capital San José
- Cuba 🇨🇺 — capital Havana
- Dominica 🇩🇲 — capital Roseau
- Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 — capital Santo Domingo
- El Salvador 🇸🇻 — capital San Salvador
- Grenada 🇬🇩 — capital Saint George's
- Guatemala 🇬🇹 — capital Guatemala City
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Mexico flag?
The flag of Mexico is three vertical stripes of green, white and red, with the coat of arms in the centre: an eagle on a cactus with a snake in its beak. Green stands for hope, white for peace and honesty and red for bravery. The eagle recalls the Aztec legend of an eagle on a cactus eating a snake, the sign that showed where to found their city, Tenochtitlan.
Which countries border Mexico?
Mexico shares land borders with United States, Guatemala and Belize.
How can I remember the capital of Mexico?
Mexico City is built where the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan stood, on islands in Lake Texcoco, so the eagle on the flag points to the capital. Without the eagle, Mexico's flag would look almost the same as Italy's.