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Mining Economy of Mexico

Mexico is a country of North America. It has border with USA in the north, Guatemala and Belize in the south. The Pacific Ocean is in the west and the Gulf of Mexico in the in the east. The geographical area of Mexico is 1972550 sq.km. The coast line is around 9330 km. Some islands are also part of the territory of Mexico. These islands are in the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of California, gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea. The islands are of 6000 sq.km. The water bodies like lakes, lagoons and rivers of Mexico cover an area of 49510 sq.km. More than 150 rivers flow through Mexico. Majority of them flow towards the western coast and drain in to the Pacific ocean. The remaining rivers flow in to the Gulf of Mexico in the eastern direction. The major rivers are Usumancita, Grijalva, Papaloapan , Cotzacoalcos and Panuco. A number of mountain ranges are found in Mexico. These are Sierra Madre Occidental, Cordillera neovolcanica and Mexican Altipano. These mountain ranges are located in the northern part of Mexico. The mountains of the southern part are peninsular ranges, Sierra Madre delsur, Sierra Madre de Oaxaca. Most part of Mexico lies on the North American Plate.The North American Plate moves in the eastward direction. The southern part of Mexico is on the Cocos Plate. The Cocos Plate moves to the north east direction. The Middle American Trench lies towards the southern coast of Mexico. The southern part is prone to earthquake. Volcanic activities are found in the Cordillera Neovolcanica across the central part of Mexico. The Gulf of California is on the Pacific Plate. The San Andreas Fault of California is extended to the coastal region of the gulf of California. The earthquake of 1985 near the Mexico city was devastating and there was human tragedy and loss of lives. There was massive destruction of infrastructure and properties by that earthquake. In the year 1994 the volcano named Volcan de Colima erupted and continued for some time. During 1983, the Elchichon volcano erupted violently in the south Mexican region.

Mexico is divided by the Tropic of Cancer in to Temperate zone in the north and Tropical zone in the south. The western part is dry and desert like conditions are found. The rainfall varies from 300mm to more than 1000 mm. The area like Baja California gets rain fall around 300 mm in a year. It is dry and arid conditions prevail there. The rain fall near Mexico city varies between 600 to 1000 mm. The rain fall is more than 1000 mm along the coast of Gulf of Mexico. The rainy season starts by May and continued up to October. Rain comes mostly in the afternoon with thunder and lighting. Tsunami hits the Pacific coast with high frequency. The Hurricane hits the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The Tsunami originates due to the volcanic activities and subsequent tremors in the ocean bed. The Hurricane originates in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The Hurricanes are active during the month of June to October.

Mexico is rich in mineral resources and the minerals of silver, copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, titanium, manganese and iron are found here. Gold deposits are found in many places in Mexico. Petroleum and natural gas are found in the coastal region of the Gulf of Mexico. Minerals like Limestone, Gypsum, kaolin rock salt and coal are found in Mexico. Building stones and construction materials are found in Mexico. Commercial mining of gold and silver was started during 1521 AD. Mexico is the leading producer of silver. Liberal economic policy was introduced from 1990.Mexico became a member of NAFTA. The mining sector was opened up for foreign direct investment. After that around 10 billion dollar was invested in the mining sector. Mining, smelting, and export of mineral and metal contribute significantly to the economy of Mexico. However, drug abuse and drug traffic is major problem of Mexico that is hampering the mining economy. Drug cartels and Mafias control the black economy. Criminal activities are quite common in Mexico cities. Some drug lords are active in illegal mining of iron ore manganese ore silver ore, gold and molybdenum. Some of these illegal minerals are purchased by traders from China. Mexico is affected by water pollution, air pollution, dust pollution and oil spill. Deforestation soil erosion and air pollution are to be handled properly.