MEXICO 



The Republic of Mexico has an area of 772,652 square miles, 

 and is roughly 800 miles from east to west at its widest point, 

 and 2ooo miles from north to south, thus being equal to New' 

 South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, or, say, a quarter 

 of federated Australia. 



Mexico has about 6,000,000 cattle and 4,000,000 sheep, and 

 with its great advantages in railway communications with its 

 great northern neighbour, the United States, and its excellent 

 shipping facilities on the Atlantic side, should, with an improve- 

 ment in its quality of stock, soon become an important factor 

 in the export of frozen meat. 



There seems to be a considerable confusion in the minds of 

 many between Mexico and Xew Mexico. Mexico (or, as it is 

 generally called, Old Mexico), after the termination of the war 

 with the United States of America in February, 1848, ceded to 

 that Republic as war indemnity all lands north and west of 

 the Rio Grande River ; included in this was the territory called 

 Xew Mexico. 



Mexico as a country has been endowed by Nature with an 

 over-abundant supply of natural resources, rich in minerals, 

 silver in almost every mountain, copper and lead are plentiful, 

 gold also being found in fairly large proportions. The northern 

 States are phenomenally rich in immense coal beds, and in the 

 States of Durango and Xuevo Leon are found almost solid 

 mountains of iron. Turning to the other sources of its wealth, 

 we find large tracts of splendid agricultural and grazing lands. 

 The formation of the country is peculiar. It rises in three 

 distinct tablelands from the coast ; first are the hot lands 

 (tierra caliente) near the coast, where all tropical growth is 

 abundant in fruits and forests ; then as the land rises from 

 2000 to 5000 ft. above sea-level comes what is called the tem- 



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