Mexico Geography

Mexico's geography is dominated by two major mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental, enclosing the high central plateau where Mexico City sits, at elevations often above 2,000 meters.

The country narrows toward the south into the Isthmus of Tehuantepec before widening into the Yucatán Peninsula, a low, flat limestone shelf riddled with underground rivers and cenotes rather than surface rivers.

Mexico sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, giving it significant volcanic activity (including Popocatépetl, visible from Mexico City), while the long Baja California Peninsula adds an arid, desert landscape distinct from the tropical south.