Independence Day Recently Celebrated in Mexico

People all across MEXICO celebrated their country's Independence Day on Wednesday, September 16th. Mexico declared independence on September 16th, 1810 and officially achieved independence from Spain eleven years later in 1821. Happy belated Independence Day!

Mexico Exports

According to MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity (atlas.media.mit.edu), the following items are major exports of MEXICO: animal hides, automobiles and parts, baked goods, beverages (especially beer and hard liquor), bovine meat, ceramics, chocolate, cleaning products, coffee, copper, corn (maize), cucumbers, delivery trucks, electronics (especially computers), frozen vegetables, fruit juice, furniture, glass bottles, gold, grapes, insulated wire, iron pipes, lead, leather footwear, light fixtures, medical instruments, medical supplies, melons, nuts, onions, orthopedic devices, padlocks, petroleum, plastic products, refrigerators and other appliances, seats, silver, sugar, suits and tee-shirts, telephones, televisions and other video displays, thermostats, tires, toilet paper, tomatoes, tractors, tropical fruit, vegetable oil, wheat, and zinc. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include the United States (top importer), Canada, China, Germany, Spain, India, Japan, South Korea, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile, Peru, France, Guatemala, Argentina, Singapore, Venezuela, the Netherlands, and Malaysia.

Species Named After Mexico

Species named after Mexico include the Central Mexican Broad-clawed Shrew, Dwarf Mexican Treefrog, Grizzled Mexican Small-eared Shrew, Leather Leaf Mexican Oak tree, Little Mexican Toad, Mexican Agouti rodent, Mexican Arroyo Toad, Mexican Big-eared Bat, Mexican Black-headed Snake, Mexican Blind Snake, Mexican Blindcat catfish, Mexican Blenny fish, Mexican Cacique bird, Mexican Caecilian amphibians, Mexican Chickadee, Mexican Cottontail rabbit (so cute!), Mexican Darter fish, Mexican Deer Mouse, Mexican Dog-faced Bat, Mexican Drooping Juniper tree, Mexican Flounder, Mexican Fox Squirrel, Mexican Free-tailed Bat, Mexican Garter Snake, Mexican Golden Trout, Mexican Hermit Crab, Mexican Jay bird, Mexican Lamprey, Mexican Leaf Frog, Mexican Long-nosed Bat, Mexican Mushroomtongue Salamander, Mexican Nut Pine tree, Mexican Parrot Snake, Mexican Prairie Marmot rodent, Mexican Red-knee Tarantula, Mexican Searobin (these aquatic creatures seem to have "wings" like robins do), Mexican Water Mouse, and Mexican Yew shrub.

Mexico Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for MEXICO in North America lists 246 critically endangered species and 405 endangered species. Mexico's critically endangered species include the Adler's Mottled Treefrog, Admirable False Brook Salamander, Angel Island Mouse, Axolotl (Mexican Salamander), California Condor, Central American River Turtle, Imperial Salamander, Imperial Woodpecker, Margarita Island Kangaroo Rat, Nelson's Small-eared Shrew, Puebla Deer Mouse, Recurved Crusted Coralroot orchid plant, San Jose Brush Rabbit, and Short-crested Coquette bird, and Zapotec Salamander. Endangered species include the Acultzingo Pygmy Salamander, Artichoke Cactus, Boulder Star Coral, Cardboard Palm cycad plant, Dennis' Chirping Frog, Dickinson's Lady's Slipper flower, Horned Guan bird, Oaxaca Hummingbird, Paulson's Knobtail dragonfly, and Sea Otter, Thick-billed Parrot, and Zempoaltepec rodent.

Mexico Extinct Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for MEXICO in North America lists 25 extinct species and 6 extinct-in-the-wild species. Some extinct species include the Ameca Shiner fish, Coronados Island Woodrat, Guadalupe (Mourning) Caracara bird, Mexican Dace fish, Pemberton's Deer Mouse, San Martin Island Woodrat, Slender-billed Grackle bird, Tres Marías Island Rice Rat, Villa Lopez Pupfish, and West Indian Monk Seal. Butterfly Splitfin fish, Catarina Pupfish, Golden Skaffia fish, La Palma Pupfish, Potosí Pupfish, and Socorro Dove are Mexico's extinct-in-the-wild species.

Matching Game - Presidents of Latin America

Below, simply match the past president with the correct country. Argentina and Mexico both have two answer choices. Answers are found multiple spaces down below. Of course, try not to consult the Internet or any other sources to see if you have great knowledge or guessing skills about these questions!

1. Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira was the 21st president (1956-1961) of __________.

2. Bernardino Rivadavia was the 1st president (1826-1827) of __________.

3. José de San Martin was the 1st president (1821-1822) of __________ and encouraged the independence of Argentina from Spain.

4. Jean-Pierre Boyer was the 2nd president (1818-1843) of __________, one of two countries on the island of Hispaniola.

5. Raúl Alfonsín was the 46th president (1983-1989) of __________ and was the country's first democratically elected president after a previous military government.

6. Miguel Alemán was the 46th president (1946-1952) of __________.

7. Fulgencio Batista was the 9th president (1940-1944) and the 12th "president" (basically a dictator from 1952-1959) of __________.

8. Pedro Santana was the 1st (1844-1848), 4th (1853-1856), and 8th (1858-1861) president of the __________, the other country on the island of Hispaniola.

9. Lázaro Cárdenas was the 44th president (1934-1940) of __________.


















Answers
1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. Peru
4. Haiti
5. Argentina
6. Mexico
7. Cuba
8. Dominican Republic
9. Mexico

Yucatan Peninsula

North of Guatemala and Belize in the easternmost part of MEXICO, the Yucatán Peninsula is notable for successful tourism industries in cities like Cancún and Chetumal. The three Mexican states on the peninsula are Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán. A plethora of ancient pyramids and other structures built by the Aztecs and Mayans are scattered across the peninsula. One of the most famous pyramids in the area is Chichen Itzá, located in the center of the peninsula in the state of Yucatán. The Gulf of Mexico lies north and west of the Yucatan Peninsula while the Caribbean Sea is off the eastern coast. Off the northern coast of the Yucatan, the large Campeche Bank in the Gulf of Mexico features small islands, shoals, and reefs.

Dr. Paul Farmer, Making the World Healthier

If you read Mountains Beyond Mountains, written by Tracy Kidder, you would become familiar with the charitable work of one of the world's most generous and caring doctors. He is Dr. Paul Farmer, who dedicated a lot of his time to work in HAITI, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. He started caring for people in Haiti many years before the country, on the western part of Hispaniola island, was severely devastated by earthquakes in 2010. While still improving medical care for some in Haiti, he has since spread medical generosity to other parts of the world. Partners In Health is a nonprofit medical organization that he co-founded. As seen under the Where We Work tab on the PIH website, Partners in Health and Dr. Farmer also operate in LESOTHO, MALAWI, MEXICO, PERU, RUSSIA, RWANDA, the UNITED STATES (including the Navajo Nation), and other countries. Keep up the good work, Dr. Farmer and Partners in Health! It is greatly appreciated for those wanting to strive for a healthy and happy Earth!

Popocatepetl

Popocatepetl is an active volcano located in south-central MEXICO, more specifically in the state of Puebla and a little more than 40 miles southeast of Mexico City. This is the second highest peak in Mexico, after Pico de Orizaba.
Background credit: Alejandro Linares Garcia (Wikipedia)

Mexico

Top Map Credit:  © 2010 GeoFact of the Day
Bottom Map Credit:  ™ & © 2017 Scholastic Inc. (go.grolier.com/atlas)
Click on the bottom map to enlarge it in a new tab or window.

Officially known as the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos), MEXICO (México) is a Spanish-speaking country located in the southern part of North America. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Mexico's population in the year 2020 is about 128,254,000 and is ranked 10th among populations of the whole world’s countries, dependencies, and territories. Mexico's bordering countries are Belize to the southeast, Guatemala to the southeast, and the United States to the north. It also borders the Gulf of Mexico (body of water in the Atlantic Ocean) and the Pacific Ocean. The Gulf of California is between the Baja California peninsula and the Mexican mainland. The capital and largest city is Mexico City, which is also simply known as México. Mexico City is located in Distrito Federal, a federal district completely surrounded by the México state. Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) is the main airport serving Mexico City. Other major cities include Ciudad Juárez (Juárez), Ecatepec, Guadalajara, León de Los Aldama (León), Monterrey, Nezahualcóyotl (Neza), Puebla, Tijuana, and Zapopan. Mexico's currency is the Mexican Peso, and its ISO 4217 currency code is MXN.