Geography and Climate
One of the most popular expat destinations, many Americans have chosen to live in Mexico. Despite its Latin American ties, Mexico is located in North America. Bounded on the north by the United States and the south by Guatemala and Belize, Mexico also looks east to the Caribbean Sea and west to the Pacific Ocean. The fifth largest country in the Americas and the fourteenth largest in the world, Mexico’s 760,000 square miles land mass is about one-fifth the size of the U.S.
Mexico spreads south from the U.S. border along its great highland central plateau, which occupies most of the width of the country from the U.S. border to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The central plateau is about 4,000 feet in elevation in the north and rises to around 8,000 feet in the central part of the country. The Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre Occidental flank the central plateau on the east and the west. Volcanic peaks rise to over 17,000 feet in several areas of the country. The high country descends to the coastal lowlands along Mexico’s Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Across the Sea of Cortez, the Sierra de Baja California and the Peninsular Ranges run down the center of the Baja California peninsula, with desert lowlands or fertile valleys extending to both Baja’s east and west coasts. The Rio Grande, known as the Rio Bravo del Norte in Mexico, is Mexico’s most important river, extending 1,300 miles from the U.S. border.
Keeping time in Mexico is very easy since the country observes three of the time zones used in the U.S. Most of the country uses Central Standard Time. The Mexico states of Chihuahua, Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California Sur use Mountain Standard Time and Baja California Norte uses Pacific Standard Time. Daylight saving time is used everywhere except the northern border state of Sonora, which remains on Mountain Standard Time throughout the year. Mexico has a varied climate depending primarily on latitude and elevation. The Tropic of Cancer divides Mexico into temperate and tropical zones. North of it, cooler temperatures prevail during the winter months. To the south, temperatures generally are constant, but vary, depending upon elevation.
Areas south of the Tropic of Cancer with low elevations, which includes the southern coastal plains and the Yucatan Peninsula, have an annual median temperature between 75.2 F and 82.4 F. Temperatures remain high throughout the year with less than 10 F difference in median temperature between winter and summer. As elevation rises toward the central plateau, yearly average temperatures range between 60.8 F to 68 F. If you are planning to live in Mexico at this altitude, expect relatively constant temperatures throughout the year. North of the Tropic of Cancer, though, temperature swings are much larger. Mexico City has a yearly median temperature of 59 F with pleasant summers and mild winters.
Most of the country experiences a rainy season from June to mid-October and significantly less rain during the remainder of the year. February and July generally are the driest and wettest months, respectively. Mexico City, for example, receives an average of only 0.2 inches of rain during February, but more than 6.3 inches in July. Coastal areas, especially those along the Gulf of Mexico, experience the largest amounts of rain in September. On the Pacific, Puerto Vallarta receives an average 15 inches of rainfall in September. A small coastal area of northwestern Baja California has a Mediterranean climate with considerable coastal fog and a rainy season that occurs in winter. Hurricanes affect regions of both coasts from June through November. West coast hurricanes are often less violent than those affecting Mexico’s eastern coastline. Hurricane Gilbert passed directly over Cancun in September 1988, with winds in excess of 124 mph, producing major damage to hotels.
Earthquakes are also very common in Mexico. The country’s Pacific coast is part of the earthquake-prone “Ring of Fire” that frequently generates very large earthquakes. The 1985 Mexico City earthquake was a magnitude 8.0 and killed at least 10,000 people. Volcanic eruptions also occur in the central-southern part of Mexico.