Mexico

THE REPUBLIC OF Mexico has a land area of 758,249 sq. mi. (1,972,550 sq. km.), a population of 106,535,000 (2006 est.), and a population density of 142 people per sq. mi. (55 people per sq. km.). About 12 percent of the country is arable, with a further 39 percent used for meadow or pasture (often for low-intensity grazing), and 24 percent of the country is forested. The climate of Mexico varies considerably; while some of the northern parts are arid desert, the central plateau is much colder, especially in winter, and the southern part of Mexico is largely tropical jungle. As well as the regional variations in climate, there have also been studies of Mexico's climate over recent centuries. Many historians now believe that the ...