III.
Geography.
Situation.— The Mexican Republic extends from the 15th to the 32d degrees of north latitude, and from the 87th to the 117th meridians of longitude west from Greenwich. [1]
Boundaries.— Mexico is bounded on the north by the United States of America, whose frontier is marked as follows: from the mouth of the Rio Bravo, or Rio Grande del Norte, following the course of the river to the parallel of 31° 47'; thence it is continued for 100 miles to the west on the same parallel, then to the south to latitude 31° 11'. It now follows the latter parallel to the 111th meridian, and then runs to the northwest as far as the Rio Colorado, in latitude 32° 29' 45", and, crossing this river, is marked by the dividing line between Upper and Lower California at the Bay of San Diego. The length of the northern frontier is 1,900 miles. On the east, by the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean; on the west, by the Pacific Ocean; and, on the south, by the Republic of Guatemala[2] and the territory of Balize, or British Honduras.
Area.—Mexico contains, according to Busto's Estadística de la República Mexicana, 1,958,912 square kilometres, or 756,336 square miles. The Statesman's Year-Book gives the area at 743,948 square miles.
Topography.—Mountains.—The Republic is traversed by the continuation of the Cordillera of South America, which in Mexico is called the Sierra Madre. It trends northwesterly from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
