A new airport for Mexico City

 Mexico's geography in the Press  Comments Off on A new airport for Mexico City
Sep 032014
 

The Mexico City Benito Juárez International Airport handled 31.5 million passengers in 2013, but is operating at near capacity. To ease its congestion, the federal Communications and Transportation Secretariat (SCT) has announced plans to expand the airport eastwards, by annexing 5500 hectares of adjacent federal land bordering Lake Texcoco. The expansion will take several years […]

How fast are mangroves disappearing in Mexico?

 Updates to Geo-Mexico  Comments Off on How fast are mangroves disappearing in Mexico?
Sep 012014
 
How fast are mangroves disappearing in Mexico?

It is surprisingly difficult to give a single, definitive response to this seemingly simple question, so in 2008, Arturo Ruiz-Luna and a group of researchers set out to answer the question once and for all, by taking a close look at the available data and its reliability. The first challenge is to define precisely what […]

Diana Kennedy and regional cuisines in Mexico

 Other  Comments Off on Diana Kennedy and regional cuisines in Mexico
Aug 302014
 
Diana Kennedy and regional cuisines in Mexico

Diana Kennedy is the world’s foremost authority on regional Mexican cuisines. Born in the UK, she moved to Mexico in 1957 with her husband, Paul Kennedy, a New York Times correspondent. Over the next half a century, Kennedy traveled the length and breadth of Mexico, collecting stories, cooking techniques and recipes, and writing about regional […]

How can tourism perception be assessed? A case study using the Lerma-Chapala drainage basin

 Books and resources, Teaching ideas  Comments Off on How can tourism perception be assessed? A case study using the Lerma-Chapala drainage basin
Aug 282014
 
How can tourism perception be assessed? A case study using the Lerma-Chapala drainage basin

In numerous previous posts, we have looked at the importance of tourism in Mexico, and have examined its impacts at different scales, from the national/international scale at one extreme to the single resort scale at the other: National scale: The importance of tourism to Mexico’s economy (2010) How well is tourism doing this year in […]

Recent progress in waste water treatment in Mexico

 Mexico's geography in the Press  Comments Off on Recent progress in waste water treatment in Mexico
Aug 252014
 
Recent progress in waste water treatment in Mexico

Two wastewater treatment plants have been in the news recently. The first is the $230 million Agua Prieta wastewater treatment plant, located north of Guadalajara in Jalisco, which was formally inaugurated last month. It is the first stage in a plan to restore the heavily polluted Santiago River back to health. The Santiago is the […]

How valuable are Mexico’s mangrove swamps?

 Other  1 Response »
Aug 232014
 
How valuable are Mexico's mangrove swamps?

Mangrove swamps have an undeserved reputation for being impenetrable thickets harboring noxious insects and reptiles. But they also have considerable value, in terms of both ecology and economics, as this case study of the Marismas Nacionales mangroves on the west coast of Mexico will demonstrate. The Teacapán-Agua Brava-Marismas Nacionales Lagoon System extends northwards along Mexico’s […]

Mexico’s “little sea cow” on the verge of extinction

 Other  Comments Off on Mexico’s “little sea cow” on the verge of extinction
Aug 202014
 
Mexico’s “little sea cow” on the verge of extinction

Wildlife groups from around the world are urging the Mexican government to take urgent action to prevent the extinction of the “little sea cow”, the world’s smallest porpoise, known in Spanish as the vaquita marina, currently the most endangered cetacean in the world. This particular porpoise is only found in the upper sections of the […]

Tourism’s environmental impacts in the Lerma-Chapala drainage basin

 Other  2 Responses »
Aug 162014
 
Tourism's environmental impacts in the Lerma-Chapala drainage basin

Tourism associated with rivers and lakes So far as tourism is concerned, Lake Chapala is far more important than the other bodies of water within the basin. Only limited recreational activities are practiced in the various man-made reservoirs and in lakes Yuriria and Cuitzeo. Tourism is locally important in Zirahuén the most pristine of the […]

Where are Mexico’s mangrove swamps?

 Updates to Geo-Mexico  Comments Off on Where are Mexico’s mangrove swamps?
Aug 142014
 
Where are Mexico's mangrove swamps?

The National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad, CONABIO), has identified 81 distinct areas in Mexico that have mangroves with “biological significance and in need of varying degrees of ecological rehabilitation” (see summary map). These regions are distributed as follows: 10 on the […]

Plans for a high speed rail link from Monterrey, Mexico, to San Antonio, Texas

 Mexico's geography in the Press  2 Responses »
Aug 112014
 
Plans for a high speed rail link from Monterrey, Mexico, to San Antonio, Texas

Earlier this year, a slew of press reports discussed the possibility of a Mexico-USA high speed rail link from the industrial powerhouse of Monterrey in Nuevo León state to San Antonio in Texas. (For one example, see Fast train to Monterrey on the horizon). The reports say that Mexican transport officials and their U.S. counterparts […]

Popocatepetl Volcano continues its very active phase

 Mexico's geography in the Press, Other, Updates to Geo-Mexico  Comments Off on Popocatepetl Volcano continues its very active phase
Aug 092014
 
Popocatepetl Volcano continues its very active phase

Popocatepetl Volcano, near Mexico City continues to be very active, with smoke and ashes belching up to 1000 meters above the crater rim. Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Agency Cenapred, reports that the volcano had 82 “low intensity” exhalations on 7 August 2014, four of which contained “explosive material”. The agency also reported that many mionr […]

Day trips and tourism in the Lerma-Chapala basin

 Other  Comments Off on Day trips and tourism in the Lerma-Chapala basin
Aug 072014
 
Day trips and tourism in the Lerma-Chapala basin

An earlier post looked at the significant impacts of the estimated 10,000 to 15,000 residential tourists (non-working, non-Mexicans) living part or full-time in the Lerma-Chapala basin. These residential tourists are concentrated in San Miguel de Allende and in the Chapala-Ajijic area on Lake Chapala: Retirees and “residential tourism”: a case study of Chapala-Ajijic in Jalisco […]

Mexico’s multinationals: Mabe, domestic appliance manufacturer

 Updates to Geo-Mexico  3 Responses »
Aug 042014
 
Mexico’s multinationals: Mabe, domestic appliance manufacturer

Mabe is one of Mexico’s largest multinational companies (2013 sales: $3.3 billion) with a total workforce of 21,000. The company designs, produces, and distributes domestic appliances (stoves, refrigerators, etc) to more than 70 countries. The company was founded in 1946, in Mexico City, by two Spanish immigrants: Egon Mabardi and Francisco Berrondo. It started by […]

Quick photo visit to Mexico City

 Other  Comments Off on Quick photo visit to Mexico City
Aug 022014
 

The many stupendous images of Mexico City in “HA!!!, And You Thought We Were Riding Donkeys” on the “Lost in My Little World” blog undoubtedly only portray one side of Mexico City (the nice side), but that does not make them any the less worth viewing. As the blog’s author puts it, “People are always […]

Mexico’s most valuable brands, 2014

 Mexico's geography in the Press  Comments Off on Mexico’s most valuable brands, 2014
Jul 312014
 
Mexico’s most valuable brands, 2014

Consultancy firm Interbrand México recently published its annual survey (2014) of the world’s 500 most valuable brands. The Mexican firms in the list are: Telcel – cell phone service, valued at $5.8 billion (dollars), Corona – principal product beer, valued at $4.3 billion Telmex – fixed line telephone and internet service, valued at 3.6 billion […]

How well do you know Mexico? The geography of Mexico: Quiz 10

 Quiz  Comments Off on How well do you know Mexico? The geography of Mexico: Quiz 10
Jul 282014
 

We hope you will enjoy our tenth quiz about the geography of Mexico. How many of the following can you answer correctly? If you answer a question incorrectly, you can have more tries before the answer is revealed. Good Luck and Enjoy! [mtouchquiz 10] Previous quizzes: How well do you know Mexico? The geography of […]

 Tagged with:

The Magic Town of Tzintzuntzan in Michoacán

 Other  Comments Off on The Magic Town of Tzintzuntzan in Michoacán
Jul 262014
 
The Magic Town of Tzintzuntzan in Michoacán

Tzintzuntzan, designated a Magic Town in 2012, has two sixteenth century churches, equally ancient olive trees, a craft market specializing in straw goods and ornaments, plus an archaeological site which was the capital of the not inconsiderable Tarascan Empire. The Tarascan Empire The Tarascan Empire, contemporaneous with that of the Aztecs, stretched westwards as far […]

Feliz Día del Geógrafo! Happy Geographers’ Day!

 Other  Comments Off on Feliz Día del Geógrafo! Happy Geographers’ Day!
Jul 232014
 

Today, the 23 July, is “Día del Geógrafo de México” (“Mexican Geographers’ Day”). Grateful thanks to Annie Hansen for alerting us to the fact that 23 July was first proposed as “Día del Geógrafo de México” (“Mexican Geographers’ Day”) in a short paper published in 1999. Héctor Mendoza Vargas proposed that day because it marked […]

Income inequality before and after tax

 Other  Comments Off on Income inequality before and after tax
Jul 212014
 
Income inequality before and after tax

In several previous posts, we have explained how the GINI index can be used to quantify the degree of income inequality within a population or country. The higher the GINI index, the more inequality there is. National comparisons of inequality are usually based on working out the GINI index for countries using their residents’ gross […]

Raymond Craib’s “Cartographic Mexico, a history of state fixations and fugitive landscapes”

 Books and resources  Comments Off on Raymond Craib’s “Cartographic Mexico, a history of state fixations and fugitive landscapes”
Jul 192014
 
Raymond Craib's "Cartographic Mexico, a history of state fixations and fugitive landscapes"

This book by Raymond Craib (Duke University Press, 2004) is one-of-a-kind. Craib combines archival analysis of mainly 19th century documents with perceptive comments on the relationships between history and geography in Mexico from the mid-19th century until about 1930. In “Cartographic Mexico, a history of state fixations and fugitive landscapes”, Craib emphasizes the significance of […]

Which are the best states in Mexico for doing business?

 Other  Comments Off on Which are the best states in Mexico for doing business?
Jul 172014
 
Which are the best states in Mexico for doing business?

According to “Doing Business en México 2014: Entendiendo las regulaciones para las pequeñas y medianas empresas“, a study issued by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, Colima is the most favorable state in Mexico for doing business, followed by Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí and (perhaps somewhat surprisingly) the southern state of Chiapas. […]

The pattern of severe poverty within Mexico

 Updates to Geo-Mexico  Comments Off on The pattern of severe poverty within Mexico
Jul 142014
 

As presented in a previous post, 2.8% of Mexicans (3.3 million) live in severe poverty based on a June 2014 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) developed by the Oxford (University) Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI)[1]. The previous post explained the MPI measure of poverty and discussed how Mexico compared to the 108 countries in the […]

Mexico’s 2014 population update: 118.4 million

 Updates to Geo-Mexico  Comments Off on Mexico’s 2014 population update: 118.4 million
Jul 112014
 

The National Statistics Institute (INEGI) has released population updates to coincide with today’s celebration of World Population Day (11 July). According to INEGI, Mexico currently has 118.4 million people, and is the 11th most populous country in the world. The total world population is estimated at 7.2 billion, with slightly over half that number living […]

UNESCO appoints Mexico to oversee its International Hydrological Program

 Other  Comments Off on UNESCO appoints Mexico to oversee its International Hydrological Program
Jul 102014
 

Mexico has been chosen to head the inter-governmental council that oversees UNESCO’s International Hydrological Program (IHP). The IHP is the only inter-governmental program of the U.N. system devoted to water research, water-resources management, and education and capacity building. A joint statement issued by Mexico’s Environment Secretariat and Foreign Relations Secretariat says that David Korenfeld, the […]

6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Chiapas and Guatemala (7 July 2014)

 Mexico's geography in the Press  Comments Off on 6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Chiapas and Guatemala (7 July 2014)
Jul 072014
 
6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Chiapas and Guatemala (7 July 2014)

Update (14 July 2014): Civil Protection groups in Chiapas report that a total of 9,000 homes in that state were damaged by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the region on 7 July 2014 (see below). Three people lost their lives as a result of the ‘quake: two in Hixtla and the other in Mapastepec. […]

Multidimensional Poverty in Mexico: How severe is poverty in Mexico?

 Updates to Geo-Mexico  Comments Off on Multidimensional Poverty in Mexico: How severe is poverty in Mexico?
Jul 072014
 
Multidimensional Poverty in Mexico: How severe is poverty in Mexico?

How severe is poverty in Mexico? How does it compare to poverty in other countries? A new study released in June 2014 suggests that 2.8% of Mexicans live in severe poverty based on a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) developed by the Oxford (University) Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI) [1]. For all 108 countries in […]

The Magic Town of Tacámbaro in Michoácan

 Other  Comments Off on The Magic Town of Tacámbaro in Michoácan
Jul 052014
 
The Magic Town of Tacámbaro in Michoácan

The interesting, but unpretentious, town of Tacámbaro in Michoacán was awarded Magic Town status in 2012. The town has a population of around 26,000 and is located at an elevation of 1650 meters above mean sea level on the edge of Mexico’s tierra caliente. Its full formal name is Tacámbaro de Codallos, so-named to honor […]

New York Public LIbrary online historical maps of Mexico

 Books and resources, Maps, Mexico's geography in the Press  Comments Off on New York Public LIbrary online historical maps of Mexico
Jul 022014
 
New York Public LIbrary online historical maps of Mexico

A few months back, the New York Public Library (NYPL) announced that it was placing high resolution scans of more than 20,000 cartographic works online. The NYPL also asserted that it believed that “these maps have no known US copyright restrictions” and that it “is distributing these images under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal […]

Tracking the migratory routes of Mexico’s sea turtles

 Other  Comments Off on Tracking the migratory routes of Mexico’s sea turtles
Jun 302014
 
Tracking the migratory routes of Mexico’s sea turtles

The Wildlife Protection and Conservation Program at the CIIDIR Sinaloa campus of Instituto Politécnico Nacional (National Polytechnic Institute), has developed a series of research projects focusing on sea turtle conservation in northwest Mexico. For one of their projects, researchers released (on the Playa Las Glorias beach in the city of Guasave) three sea turtles who […]

 Older Entries  Newer Entries