Mexico
Coordinates: 23°N 102°W / 23°N 102°W / 23; -102 Mexico (Spanish: México ˈmexiko ( listen ) ; Nahuan languages: Mēxihco ), officially the United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos ; EUM esˈtaðos uˈniðoz mexiˈkanos ( listen ) ), is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico covers 1,972,550 square kilometers (761,610 sq mi) and has approximately 128,649,565 inhabitants, making it the world's 13th-largest country by area, 10th-most-populous country, and most populous Spanish-speaking nation. It is a federation comprising 31 states and Mexico City, its capital city and largest metropolis. Other major urban areas include Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and León. Pre-Columbian Mexico traces its origins to 8,000 BC and ...