Mexico is criss-crossed by large mountain ranges, the Sierras. In between are valleys and high plateaus. Almost two-thirds of the country consists of these plateaus, which are between 1.000 m and 2.400 m high. The Sierra Madre Occidental forms the boundary to the Pacific, the Sierra Madre Oriental to the Gulf of Mexico. Both mountain ranges are 1.200 km long. The geographical center of Mexico, the Mesa Central (central high plateau), is a mountain range of volcanic origin. It stretches in an east-west direction. It includes the highest mountains in Mexico: Pico de Orizaba, 5.639 m, Popocatepetl, 5.452 m, and the Ixtacchiuatl with 5.286 m. The boundary to the Pacific in the south is the Sierra Madre del Sur. Along the
The Sierra de Chiapas borders with Guatemala. Only the Yucatan Peninsula is a plain without significant elevations.
Lowland and lowland areas only occur in the coastal regions. In the east, exactly where you are, there is swamp and alluvial land, lagoon strips and partly also jungle in the flat coastal strip.
A large expanse of desert covers northern Mexico, mainly the state of Chihuahua. The largest contiguous desert areas are in the states of Sonora and Baja California.
The natural distribution of water in Mexico is very unbalanced. In the north in particular, the rivers that flow into the Pacific can only be used in the coastal regions. They do not reach the vast expanse of desert to the north. Even in central Mexico, there are few rivers that are economically viable. On the other hand, the southern gulf region with the river system of Grijalva and Us umacinta is overwhelmed with water. These two rivers supply 28% of Mexico's total water volume to the Gulf. However, these two rivers are also unsuitable as communication and transport routes. Although the Rio Bravo (the border river to the USA, which the gringos call the Rio Grande) is very long at 2.800 km, it hardly carries any water (only 1,5% of the total water volume).
Source: Karl-Wilhelm Berge and Angelika Erdmann: Reise-Handbuch Mexico. Dormagen 1994.
