Mexico’s Climate and Economic Regions

Ch. 6, Section 1, part 2

Land of Many Climates

• Latitude and altitude affect climate• Three altitudes in Mexico

– “tierra caliente” - hot land, Coastal lowlands (sea level)– “tierra templada” - temperate land” moving higher, moderate climate– “tierra fria” - cold land, highest elevations

Altitude Zones

Rainfall• Baja and northern Mexico don’t get

much rain year-round, but other places do - mostly in the summer and early fall.

• Hurricanes can hit Mexico June to Oct.

Mexico’s Economic Regions

• Mexico’s physical geography and climate have created 3 economic regions:– The North– Central Mexico– The South

Northern Mexico

• Monterrey - main producer of steel and cement• Where most vaqueros (cowboys) live Many countries, including the U.S., have built maquiladoras in Northern Mexico. - These are factories that assemble parts made

in other countries.

* Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez

Central Mexico

• More than 1/2 of Mexico’s people live here.

• Why is the climate pleasant year round?

• Soil here was created by volcanic eruptions and is very fertile.

Central Mexico

• Mexico City and Guadalajara are to large industrial cities found here

• 22 million people in Mexico city and suburbs!

• It is the largest city in the Americas since before the Spanish arrived in the 1500’s.

Southern Mexico

• Poorest economic region in the country

• The mountains in the center of this region have poor soil, so subsistence farming is common there.

• Lowlands have good soil, so larger farms are found there.

Southern Mexico

• Plantations are common in the lowlands

• These are large farms that raise a single crop ex. Sugarcane, bananas

• Beautiful beaches are found here. Resort cities include: Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, and Cancùn

Mexico’s Economy Today

• Mexico’s economy ranks in the top 15 in the world!– Crop exports include: coffee, cotton,

vegetables, fruit, livestock, tobacco

Mexico’s Economy Today

• Recently, Mexico has industrialized• This means:

• Factories in Mexico now produce things like: cars, consumer goods, and steel

• Service industries are important here• Oil can be found in the Gulf of Mexico

and southern coast.

NAFTA

• Some Americans have been afraid that belonging to NAFTA means American jobs will “go south”.

• They fear the lower rate for labor in Mexico will encourage manufacturers to move their businesses to Mexico.