Mexico

[ mek-si-koh ]

noun

1. a republic in southern North America. 761,530 square miles(1,972,363 square kilometers). : Mexico City.
2. a state in central Mexico. 8,268 square miles (21,415 square kilometers). : Toluca.
3. Gulf of Mexico, an arm of the Atlantic surrounded by the United States, Cuba, and Mexico. 700,000 square miles (1,813,000 square kilometers); greatest depth 12,714 feet (3,875 meters). Mexican Gol·fo de Mé·xi·co [gawl, -faw , th, e , me, -hee-kaw].
4. a town in northeastern Missouri.

Mexico

/ ˈmɛksɪˌkəʊ /

noun

1. a republic in North America, on the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific: early Mexican history includes the Maya, Toltec, and Aztec civilizations; conquered by the Spanish between 1519 and 1525 and achieved independence in 1821; lost Texas to the US in 1836 and California and New Mexico in 1848. It is generally mountainous with three ranges of the Sierra Madre (east, west, and south) and a large central plateau. Official language: Spanish. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: peso. Capital: Mexico City. Pop: 116 220 947 (2013 est). Area: 1 967 183 sq km (761 530 sq miles) Official nameUnited Mexican States Spanish nameMéjico
2. a state of Mexico, on the central plateau surrounding Mexico City, which is not administratively part of the state. Capital: Toluca. Pop: 13 096 686 (2000). Area: 21 460 sq km (8287 sq miles)
3. Gulf of Mexico
   an arm of the Atlantic, bordered by the US, Cuba, and Mexico: linked with the Atlantic by the Straits of Florida and with the Caribbean by the Yucatán Channel. Area: about 1 600 000 sq km (618 000 sq miles)

Mexico

1. Republic in southern North America , bordered by the United States to the north, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the east, Belize and Guatemala to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and west. Its capital and largest city is Mexico City .

Notes

Mexico has a significantly high foreign debt . Its land is rich, but much of it is difficult to cultivate. Despite the prosperity of its oil industry, Mexico's economic troubles are severe.

In 1994, Mexico joined the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The world's most populous Spanish-speaking country.

Before the arrival of the Spanish in the early sixteenth century, great Native American civilizations, such as the Mayas and the Aztecs , thrived.

Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821.

Mexico's proximity to the United States has led to serious territorial disputes; the immediate cause of the Mexican War of the 1840s was the annexation of Texas by the United States.

Many Mexicans cross the Mexican-American border illegally in hopes of finding work in the United States.

From 1929 until the late 1990s, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) dominated Mexican politics, winning most elections by a combination of popular appeal, corruption, and the liberal distribution of public jobs. In 2000, for the first time, a candidate of a rival party won Mexico's presidency.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mexico¹

First recorded in 1825–30; from Spanish México, from Nahuatl Mēxihco; of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

“What resonated for me was being in a totally new environment and having to figure things out,” says Nyong’o, who was born in Mexico and raised in Kenya.

From Los Angeles Times

The 51-year-old has been tasked with ending England's long wait for a major trophy - and outgoing interim boss Carsley believes the squad can succeed at the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

From BBC

The tropical storm was extremely slow moving, dumping huge amounts of rain on northern Honduras for four days running before moving north to Belize and Mexico.

From BBC

After the furore in South Africa, and the doubts about her nationality, she competed in the Miss Nigeria competition, which she won to qualify for the Miss Universe contest held in Mexico City.

From BBC

He was already out of the country in Mexico stretching his supply until he got back, and soon, his depression began to set in again.

From Salon