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
Mexico has a _________ government. However, Mexico is not like the United States where different political parties have always competed for power.
Democratic
what is another important part of Mexico’s economy? Many tourists visit old colonial cities and Maya and Aztec monuments. Coastal cities and resorts such as Cancún and Acapulco are also popular with tourists.
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
In Mexico what controlled the government for 71 years. But this control ended in 2000 when Mexicans elected Vicente Fox their president.
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
what includes the capital and about 50 smaller cities near it. With a population of about 20 million, ____ _____ is one of the world’s largest and most densely populated urban areas. Thousands of people move there every year looking for work.
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
____________ represented a different political party. However, in 2012 the PRI assumed the office of president again when Mexicans elected Enrique Peña Nieto. As president, Peña Nieto hopes to improve Mexico’s economy and reduce drug-related violence.
Vicente Fox
Factories and cars release exhaust and other pollutants into the air. The surrounding mountains trap the resulting ____—a mixture of smoke, chemicals, and fog. ____ can cause health problems like eye irritation and breathing difficulties.
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
Mexicans elected this guy and he believe's to improve Mexico’s economy and reduce drug-related violence.
Enrique Peña Nieto
North of greater Mexico City lies Mexico’s central region. Many cities in this region were established as mining or ranching centers during the colonial period. Mexico’s colonial heritage can still be seen today in these cities and towns. For example, small towns often have a colonial-style church near a main central square. The central square, or plaza, has served for hundreds of years as a community meeting spot and market area.
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
__________ is a rise in prices that occurs when currency loses its buying power.
Inflation
Mexico’s colonial heritage can still be seen today in these cities and towns. For example, small towns often have a colonial-style church near a main central square. The ____________ has served for hundreds of years as a community meeting spot and market area.
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
what took effect in 1994, has made trade among Mexico, the United States, and Canada easier.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
what is one of the country’s richest and most modern areas.
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
_________ has long been a key part of the Mexican economy. This is true even though just 13 percent of the land is good for farming. Many farmers in southern Mexico practice slash-and-burn _______, which is the practice of burning forest in order to clear land for planting.
Agriculture
Monterrey and Tijuana are now major cities there. Many U.S.- and foreign-owned factories called _________ (mah-kee-lah-dorhahs) have been built along Mexico’s long border with the United States.
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 forest in order to clear land for planting.
Slash-and-Burn agriculture
what is the least populated and industrialized region of the country. Many people in this region speak Indian languages and practice traditional ways of life. Subsistence farming and slash-andburn agriculture are common.
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
The high market demand for food in the United States has encouraged many farmers in Mexico to grow _______ ________
Cash crop
However, southern Mexico is vital to the country’s economy. ____________, two major export crops, grow well in the region’s warm, humid climate.
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
The fastest-growing industrial centers in Mexico lie along the what
U.S. border
what production along the Gulf coast has increased in recent years.
Oil business