What are the natural regions of Mexico

Currently, Mexico is a federal republic divided into independent and sovereign states, as recognized in the Constitution signed in 1917. The Mexican Republic is formed by 32 federative states31 of which are self -gobiern following a republican model in which each one has their own Constitution and Congress, and the last one corresponds to the Federal District, governed by the Mexican Federation and other organizations.

In detail, the 32 states are the Federal District and the states of Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, State of Hidalgo, Jalisco, State of Mexico, Michoacán de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuev Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán and Zacatecas.

West Zone of Mexico

In this area, there are the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán. These occupy, fundamentally, the coastal plain of the Pacific, the Sierra Madre Occidental, the main mountain mountain range of the Mexican west, the volcanic axis, the Balsas river basin, which is one of the longest rivers in the country, the Sierra Madre del Sur and reaches the southwest of the Mexican highlands.

In this area of ​​Mexico, we can find different natural spaces with characteristic flora and fauna. In the Nayarit Valley, species of plants such as CEIBA, Guamuchil, La Guayaba, La Guácima, Pastizales and El Tolote can be found. Among its fauna, are the tigrillos, ocelotes, jaguars, coyotes, weaving and necklace wild boars. On the other hand, trees such as pine, oak, juniper, madroño or oak and animals such as the white -tailed deer, the puma and the mountain cat dominate the landscape. On the Nayarita coast, there are also the coconut palm, peanut, the jiote, the white stick and the pochote.

In addition, the Marías Islands, located 112 km from the state of Nayarit and immersed in the Pacific Ocean are the home of eight species of native sea birds and several species of reptiles.

On the other hand, in the state of Jalisco we find different areas of vegetation and fauna according to the three types of climates that exist. In warm weather areas, tropical forests predominate, in areas of semi -dry climate, there are grasslands and in tempered climate areas there are trees such as pines and hazelnuts, ferns and shrubs. You can find animals such as the wolf, the coyote, the jaguar, the puma, the royal eagle and other raptures and various reptiles. In this area, ethnic groups such as the Huicholes, Cuyutecos, Otomíes, Nahuas, Purépechas, Pinomes, Tzaultecs and Xilotlantzingas also survive.

South Mexico states

In this area of ​​the country, there are the states of Guerrero, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo. These last three are found in the Yucatan Peninsula.

• The state of Guerrero is made up of 7 regions and 81 municipalities, in which you can find different beaches such as Paraíso Beach or Michigan Beach, various historical museums and the cacahuamilpa caves.
• In Veracruz, divided into 10 regions, you can see the eye of water, the jump of Eyipantla or the Anthropological Museum.
• In Oaxaca, which has 8 regions, there is Huatulco known for its nine bays, the waterfalls boil the water (waterfalls formed by calcium carbonate deposits), Mount Abán that has a large square where the Aztecs played the famous “ball game”, the city of Zicatela known by the surfers and mazunte where the center of the turtle is.
• In the state of Chiapas, which is divided into 9 regions, there are natural spaces such as the Sumidero Canyon, Blue Water or Chiflon, the architectural ruins of Terán Fuentes and San Cristóbal de las Casas.
• On the other hand, Yucatan is a legendary land with important archaeological sites, stately cities, caves, cenotes, beaches, Mayan communities and a great culture (gastronomy, music, etc.).
• Campeche, with its 11 municipalities, is famous for its fortified cities built to protect themselves from pirates.
• Finally, the state of Quintana Roo, located in the Caribbean coast, has Mayan ruins, sandy beaches and underwater caves. In addition, to the Northeast, the tourist city of Cancun, the Natural Reserve of the Nichupté Lagoon and beaches with coral reef is located. In front of the Coast of Cancun, Isla Mujeres is surrounded by reefs and houses several natural trails.

In addition, Mexico has several types of natural regions that we are going to describe below.

The wet jungle It can be found in the Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Chiapas and Veracruz regions. The maximum exponent of these jungles is the Lacandon junglelocated between Chiapas, Yucatán and Guatemala

The climate of these ecosystems is characterized by abundant rainsthat in addition to favoring the existence of an important tree canopy, humid and leafy environments, it creates very caudalous rivers. The temperatures of these areas are soft and range between 23 ° C and 25 ° C.

The flora of this place includes orchids, trees such as mahogany, ebony, banana, guayacán and other similar ones. Within the great diversity of its fauna, mammals such as the jaguar and an immense variety of birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians and fish stand out.

This ecosystem extends from the coastal plain of the Pacific Ocean, for the depression of the Balsas River, Sinaloa, the Southeast Peninsula of Baja California and some areas of the Sierra Madre del Sur until reaching Guatemala.

The dry jungle It is not as leafy as in the previous case and the vegetation is characterized by being smaller and not occupying the entire available territory. In addition, in this case, the tree vegetation is mixed with shrubs that are smaller And, in addition, many of them have transformed their leaves into thorns to avoid water loss. It is an adaptation to the less humid climate and upper temperatures.

However, these areas continue to host a Huge diversity of species. Among the flora, the cactus, colorings, copales, huizaches, mosques and paper among other species stand out. Finally, the fauna includes mammals such as squirrels, armadillos, skunks or weasels, there are birds such as chachalacas, reptiles such as snakes, iguanas and turtles, as well as species of insects and worms.

Learn more about the dry jungle ecosystem: characteristics, flora and fauna in this other ecology article.

The deserts They charge great landscape importance in this country, since almost half of the country is desert. Unlike the jungles, in these places the water is scarce and temperatures are very high for the day, due to the absence of vegetation, the nights are terribly cold.

In these places we can find very adapted and specific species of them, such as spiny and/or succulent plants. They highlight, above all, The cactusand is that Mexico has 60% of the planet’s cactus species.

As for fauna, coyotes, cristern and berrends stand out, as well as reptile species, especially snakes and lizards and species of dangerous arachnids, such as scorpions.

Without any doubt, the most important deserts in Mexico are The Chihuahuas Desert, the Sonora Desert and the Tehuacán Valley.

Here we explain in more detail the characteristics, flora and fauna of the desert ecosystem.

Forests are fundamentally formed by pines or oaks. Mexico houses 50% of the total diversity of pines on the planet. These are located in the mountainous systems of the Sierras de Chiapas, Baja California, the Sierra Madre Oriental, the Sierra Madre del Sur, the transverse volcanic system and Oaxaca.

They are also of special relevance Fog forestswhich are characterized by their moisture due to the presence of the fog that covers forests continuously. Unfortunately, these ecosystems are disappearing due to the growing advance of coffee crops, fruit trees and extensive livestock.

The landscapes of thickets and grasslands are not very abundant in the Mexican region, but they are of vital importance, since in them numerous plant species of grassesmany of them are cultivable such as wheat. They occupy about 12% of the territory and are found in the states of Aguascalientes, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Zacatecas and others.

The Ecosystems of thickets and grasslands They are inhabited by species that graze, but also by steppe birds, such as quail or hawks, and mammals such as wild boars, prairies and coyotes puppies.

The marine region is located on the coast of the country. Mexico is bathed by Atlantic Oceans, by the East, and Pacific, for the West. The communities of living beings are adapted to the specific conditions of each ocean (temperature, currents, salinity) and, therefore, are very diverse. There are communities adapted to both sandy and rocky substrates.

The richness of marine species From Mexico it is extraordinary:

• There are more than 300 species of jellyfish, corals and anemones.
• More than 4,000 species of mollusks, including octopos, snails or clams.
• More than 5,000 species of crustaceans such as shrimp, crabs, jaibas and lobsters.
• About 2,500 species of fish (swordfish, candle fish, pampans), sharks and stripes.
• More than 50 species of marine mammals.
• More than 11 species of turtles and crocodiles.

Unfortunately and as always due to human action, in recent decades, many of the species have been classified as endangered by overweight and little care of the marine environment.

If you want to read more articles similar to What are the natural regions of Mexicowe recommend that you enter our category of ecosystems.