Mexico ; Nahuatl languages: Mxihco), officially the United Mexican States ), is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost 2,000,000 square kilometers , the nation is the fourth largest country in the Americas by total area and the 13th largest independent state in the world.With an estimated population of over 129 million people, Mexico is a federation comprising 31 states plus Mexico City , which is the capital city and its most populous city.
Pre-Columbian Mexico dates to about 8000 BC and is identified as one of six cradles of civilization and was home to many advanced Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec before first contact with Europeans. In 1521, the Spanish Empire conquered and colonized the territory from its politically powerful base in Mexico-Tenochtitlan , which was administered as the viceroyalty of New Spain.
The Pastry War, the Franco-Mexican War, a civil war, two empires, and the Porfiriato occurred in the 19th century.
