Section 1 & 2
Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes pose a concern in Mexico. What is the name of the volcano near Mexico City, which was active as recently as 2010?
Popocatépetl
What is the name of the thin peninsula stretching south from northern Mexico into the Pacific Ocean?
Baja California
What was the name of the Spanish conquistador who arrived in Mexico in 1519 with roughly 600 men?
Hernán Cortés
What is the political party of Mexico?
Democratic
What is a main income source of Mexico near the Yucatàn peninsula?
Tourism
What is the name of another significant resource that surrounds Mexico and attracts many tourists to the country's beautiful beaches? Unfortunately, it is scarce in many places of Mexico because scarcity is a major problem.
Water
The plains that stretch along the west coast are rather wide in the north but narrower in the south. The plains on the east side of the country are large and flat, with fertile soils and a favorable environment for agriculture. What's the name of that area?
Gulf Coastal Plain
Around 1500 BC, which people in Mexico lived in tiny communities on the humid southern shore of the Gulf of Mexico, where they constructed temples and huge statues? They also exchanged carved stones such as jade and obsidian with other communities in eastern Mexico.
Olmec
What political party lead Mexico for 71 years?
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
The capital of Mexico, which has a great population and densely packed buildings. What is it known as?
Mexico City
Who followed in the footsteps of the Olmec, creating enormous cities in Mexico and Central America between AD 250 and 900? In these cities, people built stone temples to honor their gods.
Maya
Which people went to central Mexico from the north after the Maya civilization collapsed, and who erected their capital on a lake island in 1325?
Aztecs
Because of Spain's colonial legacy, the majority of Mexicans speak Spanish. Religion is another example of an influence from Spain. What faith is practiced by roughly 90 percent of Mexicans?
Roman Catholic
Who got elected as Mexican president in the year 2000, ending the reign of the PRI until 2012?
Vicente Fox
What is the mixture of smoke, chemicals, and fog? It can also cause severe health problems.
Smog
What are large areas of farm or ranch land referred to as?
Haciendas
Mexicans have distinct cultural norms shaped by both Spanish and Mexican Indian cultures. This convergence can be seen in a the celebration observed on November 1 and 2 called what?
Day of the Dead
Fifteen years after Mexico got independence, a huge portion, Texas, seceded and joined the United States. As a result, Mexico and the United States clashed over Texas and the position of their common border. This resulted in a struggle in which Mexico lost about half of its land to the United States. What's the name of the conflict?
Mexican-American War
Which Mexican president took control in 2012 hoping to lower drug-related violence?
Enrique Peña Nieto
What part of Mexico reflects the colonial heritage of Mexico?
Central Region
The Sierra Madre Oriental range is to the east, while the Sierra Madre Occidental is to the west. What do these two mountain ranges plus another shorter one in southern Mexico combine to form?
Sierra Madre
In what year did Mexico gain independence?
1821
What is the name of the Aztec capital, which developed to be one of the largest and most spectacular cities of its era?
Tenochtitlán
What is the term of prices going up after money loses an amount of value?
Inflation
What do many towns in Central Mexico have?
central square/plaza
Mexico, the United States neighbor to the south, has a long border with the United States. What is the name of one of Mexico's few large rivers that forms part of this border?
Río Bravo
What do you call a piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides?
Peninsula
What is the name given to a land having multiple regions and inhabitants ruled by a single ruler?
Empire
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
What is the most modern and richest part of Mexico including major cities as Monterrey and Tijuana?
Northern Mexico
What are the Spanish conquerors known as?
Conquistadors
The Gulf of Mexico is separated from the Caribbean Sea by which portion of Mexico?
Yucatán Peninsula
Mexico is abundant in natural resources. What is one of its most valuable resources?
petroleum/oil
What is a major part of Mexico's economy?
Agriculture
What is the term called when a foreign company builds factories or work places so they can pay their workers less?
Maquiladoras
What is Mexico's eastern border known as?
Gulf of Mexico
Mexico currently produces more silver than any other country in the world. Mexicans also produce a huge amount of copper, gold, lead, and zinc. Where are they acquired?
Mines
The Valley of Mexico is located in the south, between two ranges. What is the name of Mexico's capital?
Mexico City
What is the practice of burning an area of land and using it as farm land?
Slash-and-Burn agriculture
What is the least developing part of Mexico having many farms and having many tourists?
Southern Mexico
Following the conquest, Spanish and American Indian peoples and cultures merged, resulting in a new Mexican identity. Spaniards referred to people of mixed European and Indian origin as what?
Mestizos
What are Spanish Church outposts recognized as?
Missions
In the mid-1800s, Mexico faced additional challenges, thus the president helped Mexico survive a French invasion while also transforming Mexican culture through reforms that reduced church and army privileges. What's the president's name?
Benito Juárez
What is it called when farmers sell crops mainly for a profit?
Cash crop
These crops are grown in the southern part of Mexico and grow well in the area's warm and humid climate What are their names?
Sugarcane and coffee
Spain governed Mexico for nearly 300 years until the country's people claimed independence. Which Catholic priest spearheaded the revolt against Spanish rule?
Miguel Hidalgo
Following the conquest, the Spanish and American Indian peoples and cultures fused, forming a new Mexican identity. Spaniards referred to those with mixed European and African origin as what?
Mulattoes
The northern half of the Yucatán Peninsula has a hot and dry climate, but the majority of southern Mexico is warm and humid. What is the primary vegetation there?
Scrub Forest
What is a fast growing part of Mexico in the North with many foreign buisnesses?
U.S. border
What business is an important export of Mexico that is growing? This business has many people working in it.
Oil business