With the US to the north, Belize and Guatemala to the south and seas on either side, Mexico is popular with visitors the world over. Warm weather, plenty of sun, blue seas, vividly white beaches and evidence of ancient cultures lure some; others venture here because of the affordable prices. It is a land of contrasts, like so much of Central America. Upscale resorts share streets with tumbledown shacks; express highways sport carts and burros alongside them. The language is Mexican Spanish, the Spanish that is usually taught in the US.
Mexico is about three times the size of Texas, with a climate that ranges from warm wet tropics to arid deserts. Rugged mountains in the interior level out to coastal plains. Regions of Mexico include Baja California, the western peninsula; the Border States to the north; the Bajio, or historic states in the silver mining region; Central Mexico, which surrounds the capital of Mexico City; the tropical Pacific Coast with its beaches to the south; and the Yucatan Peninsula, where Mayan ruins and tropical jungles lure visitors to explore.