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 government is where the leaders are chosen by the votes of the citizens?
Democratic
What is a big part of Mexico's economy that involves the Maya and Aztec Civilization?
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
Who controlled the government for 71 years but this control ended in 2000 when Mexicans elected Vincent Fox for president
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
What place in Mexico has about 20 million population and is one of the worlds largest and most densely populated areas?
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 was Mexico's president from 2000 2006?
Vicente Fox
What is a mixture of smoke and chemicals and fog.
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 president of Mexico hoped to improve Mexico's economy and stop drug violence?
Enrique Peña Nieto
What lies North of greater Mexico city and many cities were established as ranching or mining?
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 a rise in prices which occurs when a currency loses its buying power?
Inflation
What has served for hundreds of years as a meeting spot and a market.
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 agreement to place 1994 that made trade through Mexico, the US, and Canada easier?
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Where is Mexico's most rich and 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
What is a big part of Mexico's economy that involves farming?
Agriculture
What are US and foreign owned factories called?
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 forests to clear land for planting?
Slash-and-Burn agriculture
What is the least populated and industrialized place in Mexico?
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 a crop that farmer's grow mainly to sell for profit.
Cash crop
What are 2 major crops in southern Mexico?
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
Where are the fasts growing industrial centers in Mexico
U.S. border
What industry brought growth to the to the coastal area of of southern Mexico?
Oil business