Mexico

Mexico's Flag: The green-white-red tricolor was officially established in 1821. Green is for independence, white for Roman Catholicism, and red for union. The emblem depicts the scene supposedly witnessed by the Aztecs in 1325: an eagle with a snake in its beak standing upon a cactus growing out of rocks in the water. The flag was modified on Sept. 17, 1968.

Mexico is located in North America, bordered by the United States to the north, and Belize and Guatemala to the southeast. It is the northernmost and westernmost country in Latin America, and also the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world with over 107 million (est. 2005).

Mexico is divided into 31 states (estados) and a federal district. Each state has its own constitution and its citizens elect a governor as well as representatives to their respective state congresses. The country is often referred to by Mexicans as "Republica Mexicana". Mexico is a traveler's paradise, jammed with a multiplex of opposing identities: desert landscapes, snow-capped volcanoes, ancient ruins, overflowing industrialized cities, time-warped colonial towns, glitzy resorts, lonely beaches and a world-beating collection of flora and fauna. Mexico City is only a one-hour flight from the tropical rainforests and Mayan villages of Chiapas.