Mountains and Rivers in Mexico

The major Mountains and Rivers of Mexico

Mexico is crossed from north to south by two major mountain ranges the Sierra Madre Oriental (extends approx. 1,350 km) and Sierra Madre Occidental (extends approx 5,000 kilometers) which are the extension of the Rocky Mountains. The median elevation of both mountain ranges is 2,200-2,250 meters with some peaks at 3,000 meters.

At the center of the country from east to west, Mexico is crossed by the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Sierra Nevada. A fourth mountain range, the Sierra Madre del Sur, runs from the state of Michoacán to the state of Oaxaca. Most of the central and northern Mexican territories are located at high altitudes with the highest elevations being Pico de Orizaba (5,700 m) the third highest mountain in North America and Popocatépetl (5,462 m) and Iztaccíhuatl (5,286 m) two other notable mountains. These mountains make up three of the seven tallest mountains in all of North America.

The Mexican territory is made up of nearly 150 rivers, with most (two-thirds) flowing into the Pacific Ocean and the remainder into the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea. Although, what might appear to be an abundance of fresh water, the water volume is actually unevenly distributed throughout the country with only 5 of the approximate 150 rivers (the Usumacinta, Grijalva, Papaloapán, Coatzacoalcos, and Pánuco) accounting for half (52%) of Mexico's average annual volume of surface water. All these five rivers flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Oddly, 60% of Mexico's population reside in areas which have less than 10 % of the country's water resources, which is the northern and central Mexico accounting for 47% of the national area.

The Cataratas de Agua Azul found in Chipas Mexico. (Spanish for "Blue-water Falls")

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Read about Mexico's biodiversity >

The major Mountains and Rivers of Mexico

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