I. GEOGRAPHY. 



LOCATION, BOUNDARIES, AND AREA. 



Location. Mexico is situated between 14 30' 42' and 32 42' north 

 latitude, and between 86 46' 8* and 117 7' 31* 89 longitude west 

 of the meridian of Greenwich, embracing therefore 18 n' 18* of 

 latitude and 30 21' 23* 89 of longitude. It has an area of 767,326 

 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the United States of 

 America, on the southeast by Guatemala and Belize, on the south and 

 west by the Pacific Ocean, and on the north and east by the Gulf of 

 Mexico and the Carribean Sea. 



Boundary with the United States. The boundary with the United 

 States is fixed by the treaties of February 2, 1848, and December 30, 

 1853, and begins at the mouth of the Rio Grande River on the Gulf 

 of Mexico, follows the river for 1136 miles, beyond El Paso, Texas, to 

 the point where it strikes parallel 31 47' north latitude, and from 

 there runs along said parallel for a distance of one hundred miles, and 

 thence south to parallel 31 20' north latitude ; from there west 

 along this parallel as far as the mth meridian of longitude west of 

 Greenwich ; thence in a straight line to a point on the Colorado River, 

 twenty English miles below the junction of the Gila ; thence up the 

 middle of the said River Colorado to the intersection with the old line 

 between Upper and Lower California, and thence to a point on the 

 Pacific Ocean, distant one marine league due south of the southern- 

 most point of the Bay of San Diego ; the total distance from El Paso 

 to the Pacific being 674 miles. The whole extent of the boundary line 

 between the two countries is 1833 miles. 



The boundary line with the United States runs from southeast to 

 northwest, the mouth of the Rio Grande being in 25 57' 14" 74*' north 

 latitude ; while the line reaches on the Pacific latitude 32 32' i* 34"' ; 

 the point where the boundary line strikes the Colorado River is farther 

 north, reaching 32 42' of north latitude. Mexico has, therefore, on 

 the western, or Pacific side, 6 34' 46' 20" of latitude more than on the 

 eastern or the Gulf of Mexico side. 



