Mexico & the Caribbean
This region comprises Mexico, the countries of Central America and the island nations located in an around the Caribbean Sea. Mexico is physically part of the North America, but since it is Spanish-speaking its cultural and linguistic links connect it closely with South and Central America. Central America’s countries make up the narrow neck of land linking North and South America.
Mexico is crossed from north to south by extensions of the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental. Mexico City, the capital and largest city, with over19 million inhabitants, is located in a valley surrounded by some of the highest peaks in these ranges.
Central America is a mountainous, volcanically active isthmus connecting North America to South America.
The Caribbean region is made up of over 7000 islands, reefs and cays. The climate is mostly tropical with year round sunshine however the region is subject to hurricanes.
The Caribbean Sea is host to large, migratory schools of fish, turtles, and coral reef formations. The Puerto Rico trench, plunging more than 8 kilometres below sea level, is located on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea and is the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean.