Running head: MEXICO 1

Mexico

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Date
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Mexico

Introduction

Mexico is the country this report will discuss. Mexico is officially regarded as

the United Mexican States. However, I will shorten it as Mexico due to clarity and

uniformity. I decided to carry out this report on Mexico due to various reasons. This

nation plays a significant role in the Latin American economy due to the existence of

Lake Chapala, but it has been unnoticed today (Smithsonian Institution, 2020). Lake

Chapala will be evaluated more critically throughout this essay in that it is essential

economically for fishing, recreation, and tourism in Mexico. The other reason why I

chose to focus on Mexico is due to various historical events that have taken place in

Mexico and some individuals may not be familiar with. 

Mexico, for many years, has been regarded as a developing country

characterized by extremes of poverty and wealth. In spite of its challenges, the

country is outlined as one of the chief political and economic forces in Latin America.

Nevertheless, these issues have not originated in Mexico alone (Smithsonian

Institution, 2020). The U.S.A. has played a significant role in contributing to these

problems for years. Although the U.S.A. is not the primary point of discussion for this

essay, however, it will not be fair for Mexico to exclude the U.S. A and not talk about

the United State’s role in Mexican’s history. The focus of this report is to conduct a

critical evaluation of Mexico, its population, as well as the future and history of

Mexico. The first part of this essay will focus on the data applied, geography and

history of Mexico, the population demographic, and the rate of mortality in Mexico.  

Data

Various data will be applied throughout this essay. At the end of the essay, I

will provide different data figures to assist the readers in viewing and better
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visualizing and acknowledging what is being analyzed in this report. These figures

will be composed of line graphs, bar charts, maps, and other visual data that learners

can view. Apart from the data, other facts and figures will consist of Mexico’s

historical information. The first historical data will be on early colonization of the

region now being referred to as Mexico. Next, data will be offered concerning the

U.S.A.’s involvement in Mexican activities dated back 500 years ago (Smithsonian

Institution, 2020). Besides, the United States will be evaluated briefly but will not be

used as the primary focus of this essay. This report will also include data on the

activities carried out on Lake Chapala and how it has had both economic and social

impacts on the life of Mexican citizens. Other essential information to be evaluated

will focus on the type of government found in Mexico and the military involvement in

Mexico, both domestic and international.     

Besides, various sources will be applied throughout this essay. Most of the

scholarly works will be obtained from the internet, while others will come from other

electronic sources. The primary reason for applying the electronic and internet sources

is because the purpose of this essay is to apply the most updated and accurate data that

can be found today. With all these facts being said, different sources of information,

such as academic journals and textbooks, will be applied in this report. For example,

Population: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues, 13th Edition, will be applied in

this essay. Additionally, other sources will come from the United Nations website.

This website will be reliable in that it offers updated and accurate information for

many countries. Additionally, other sources that will be applied in this essay will

come from the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Central

Intelligence Agency. All these sources would be indicated on the reference page.  

Geography and History

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Mexico shares its northern border with the U.S.A. However, this country is

bounded to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf

of Mexico to the east, and Belize and Guatemala to the southeast. Mexico also has

archipelagoes and islands, such as TresMarias located in pacific and Mujeres and

Cozumel found in the Yucatan Peninsula coast (Central Intelligence Agency, 2020).

With the inclusion of these listed insular territories, Mexico covers about three times

Texas’ size. Mexico is more than 3,000 km across the southeast to northwest.

However, its width differs from less than 217 km from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to

about 1,900 km on its north (Central Intelligence Agency, 2020).  

Due to its vast topographic and size diversity, Mexico has various types of

climatic conditions. The reason is that about half of its land lies south of the Tropic of

Cancer. In these regions, tropical maritime air that runs from the Pacific, the

Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico, are usually attracted by low pressures that exist

overland (Smithsonian Institution, 2020). These winds are the primary sources of

precipitation that is always heaviest from May to August. Besides, tropical hurricanes,

originating in oceans on either side of the nation, occur in the coastal regions between

August and October (Smithsonian Institution, 2020). Additionally, Northern Mexico

has Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts and semiarid and arid conditions.  

Mexico’s history started when the Spanish colonizer came to colonize the

region in 1701. Before this colonization, historians widely believe that Mexico was

first inhabited by the Red Indians (Smithsonian Institution, 2020). However, Spain

ruled Mexico between 1701 to 1821 before the country’s independence on Aug. 24,

1821. During this time, Mexicans used Lake Chapala for fishing, recreation, water for

irrigation, and transposition (Smithsonian Institution, 2020). Although historians are

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claiming that this lake is shrinking over the years, it still has various economic

importance for Mexicans.   

 As previously outlined, the history of Mexico is not viewed in a positive light.

There are various events that happened that have made Mexico to be seen as country

that people admire today (Smithsonian Institution, 2020). Between 1910 to 1940,

Mexico experienced Mexican evolution. The primary focus of this revolution was to

overthrow the Diaz government. However, this political movement transformed into a

social and political movement meant to improve the lives of Mexican citizens. During

this long struggle, the citizens developed a sense of purpose and identity that is

unmatched as compared to any other country located in Latin America (Smithsonian

Institution, 2020). This revolution led to the establishment of various reforms by

1940. The other historical event is the war between the U.S.A. and Mexico. This war

made Mexico to loose most part of its land to Texas (Smithsonian Institution, 2020).

Besides, the interaction between the U.S. A and Mexico leads to the rise of Chicanos

who have Mexican heritage but are U.S. citizens. 

Population Change

It is very hard to determine whether or not the Spanish colonizers had adverse

effects on the population of the people they found in Mexico. The reason is due to the

killings that occurred to the people who resisted their rule and the rise of diseases

(United Nations, 2020a). As earlier outlined, there was an increase in violence during

Diaz’s dictatorship and the war between Mexico and the United States. Although it is

documented that violence took place, it is not recorded the exact damage extent that

existed in Mexico due to the death of Mexican citizens. 

According to facts and figures obtained from the United Nations, Mexico has

a total population of 126.2 million individuals as in 2018. Mexico has been

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experiencing a steady growth in population for the last 80 years. Figure 2 outlines the

growth of the total population of Mexico from 1900 to 2018. However, the total

population of Mexico was about 13 million in 1900. by 1950, this population

increased to 26 million, and it is about 126.2 million by 2018 (United Nations,

2020b). The country has not seen a decrease in population from 1900, proving that it

is experiencing a steady growth in population. This population growth is attributed to

the decline in the rate of mortality and high fertility (United Nations, 2020a). The

statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau outlines that the working-age population of

this country will grow faster as compared to the general population. 

Figure 3 outlines the annual rate of change in population in Mexico, as

outlined by the United Nations. This data indicates that the percentage increase in

population was about 3.32% in 1980, but it has been facing a steady decrease to date.

Statistics show that the current estimate of the Mexican population will be below 1%

in 2030 (United Nations, 2020a). Applying this estimate, it is probable to suggest that

the population change in Mexico is decreasing steadily in Mexico. I can suggest that

Mexico is currently experiencing the third stage of population change. Thus,

Mexico’s transition is adhering to the theory of demographic transition. 

Mortality Rates

 Data obtained in 2018 outlines that Mexico is experiencing a death rate of

30.73 deaths per 100 persons. This death rate is higher as compared to other countries

in Latin America. Besides figure 4 is a chart outlining the death rate of Mexico from

1960 to 2015. during this time, the death rate has been high and increasing (Weeks,

2019). The reason for the increase in death rate may be attributed to natural

calamities, poverty, and infectious diseases. 

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As per the data obtained in 2017, the life expectancy age of the Mexican

population is 75 years. Figure 4 outlines that the life expectancy of both males and

females is on the rise, similar to other nations found in Latin America. The reason due

to the rise of life expectancy is due to factors such as access to better health care and

technological advancement. Lastly, the infant rate of mortality for 2018 is 13.44

deaths per 1000 live birth in Mexico (Weeks, 2019). Data obtained from 2007 to 2018

from figure 5 outlines that this mortality rate has been decreasing over the years. The

reason for this decrease is similar to the one that has facilitated the rise in life

expectancy.
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References

Central Intelligence Agency. (2020, February 10). Latin America: Panama. Retrieved

from The World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-

world-factbook/geos/pm.html

Smithsonian Institution. (2020, February 10). Global Volcanism Program. Retrieved

from Museum of Natural History: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?

vn=346010

United Nations. (2020a, February 11). Average Annual Population Rate. Retrieved

from United Nations Data: https://population.un.org/wpp/DataQuery/

United Nations. (2020b, February 11). Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Retrieved from United Nations World Population:

https://population.un.org/wpp/DataQuery/

Weeks, J. R. (2019). Population: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues. Boston:

Cengage Learning, Inc.

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Appendices

Figure 1

Map of Mexico in Latin America

Figure 2

Total population growth Mexico from 1950 to 2015

Chart Title
140000000

120000000

100000000

80000000

60000000

40000000

20000000

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Year Population
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Figure 3

Annual rate of population change in Mexico from 1900 to 2015 both sexes

Population Change
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Figure 4

Crude death rate of Mexico from 1960-2015 per 100 population

Death Rate

29.75 29.1 30.44 29.74 30.43 30.73

27.61 28.27

23.42 23.31 23.15 24.34

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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Figure 5

Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births in Mexico

Mortality rate
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12