The United States Vs. Mexico: Differences & Similarities Between the 2 Neighboring Countries

Coming from a place where the American culture and the Mexican culture clash, I have a great degree of knowledge in these two ways of living. Even when both countries are so close to each other and only separated by the Rio Grande, they are vastly different in their Geography, climate, spoken language, politics, and religion. These differences are what make each country unique and interesting to explore.

Let’s start off with the geography of both countries. Both of these countries are part of the North American continent and are surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. The United States is made up of 50 states and it is located in the Western Hemisphere. The United States shares land borders with Canada (to the north) as well as with Mexico (to the south), and a territorial water border with Russia in the northwest and holds territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Its total area is approximately 3,717,813 sq. miles and its capital is Washington D.C. The lowest point is the Death Valley in Inyo County, California with 282 feet below sea level (-86 m) and the highest point is Mount McKinley in Denali Borough, Alaska with an altitude 20,320 feet above sea level (+6,194 m).

Mexico has many neighboring islands and its territory includes the more remote Isla Guadalupe and the Islas Revillagigedo in the Pacific Ocean. Mexico’s total area covers 1,972,550 square kilometers, including approximately 6,000 square kilometers of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of California. Its capital is Mexico D.F. and its total area is 1,972,550 km². Mexico is described comprising much of northern Middle America and is bounded to the north by the United States. The lowest point in Mexico is the Laguna Salada while the highest the Pico de Orizaba volcano.

The climate is another interesting thing that varies between both countries. The United States’ climate varies due to its large size and wide range of geographic features. The climate is temperate in most areas, tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida, polar in Alaska, semiarid in the Great Plains west of the 100th meridian, Mediterranean in coastal California and arid in the Great Basin..

In Mexico, the climate is not as varied as in the United States. The Tropic of Cancer effectively divides the country into temperate and tropical zones. Land north of the twenty-fourth parallel experiences cooler temperatures during the winter months and on the south of the twenty-fourth parallel, temperatures are fairly constant year round and vary solely as a function of elevation.

Let’s take a look into the language and politics of both countries. The language of the United States, as we all know, is English. While many people may think that the main language of Mexico is Spanish, they don’t realize something; there are many other native languages spoken by many Native Mexicans who are still living. It is interesting to explore these languages, due to the fact that some even refuse to learn Spanish and just stick to their native tongues. Many of these people live in isolated areas away from cities and town.

The politics of both countries varies as well. The democratic politics of the U.S. takes place in the framework of a presidential, federal republic where the President of the United States (the head of state and head of government), United States Congress, and judiciary share federal powers, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments. Federal and state elections operate as a two-party electoral system. The presidential elections are held once every four years, with an opportunity for a president to be reelected (though not more than two terms) and the president is chosen through the electoral vote. The politics of the U.S. are dominated by two parties; the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

The politics of Mexico are somewhat similar to those of the United States. They are made up by a federal presidential representative democratic republic whose government is based on a congressional system, whereby the president of Mexico is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party electoral system. The federal government represents the United Mexican States and is divided into three branches just like in the United States’ government: executive, legislative and judicial as established by the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States. The presidential elections are held every 6 years, but the president is not allowed to have the possibility of being reelected, unlike in the United States. The politics of Mexico are dominated by three parties; Partido Accion Nacional (PAN), Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), and Partido de la Revolucion Democratica (PRD).

One of the trickiest topics to go through is Religion. This is due to the holy wars that have happened in the past and the fear of another one starting. Given that there are many people from many different countries and nationalities, there are bound to be many different religions. Though the majority of the people are Christian (including denominations) there are also many Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists so the word God is usually used very carefully. This is due to the fact that people of other religions may take offense in the word God. In Mexico, it is another different story. It is safe to say that many people, or the vast majority of the population, are Roman Catholic. The word God is used more often, such as in quotations and in Television shows, and they openly worship the Virgin Mary.

There are many more differences between these two neighboring countries. Population, pop culture, music and such vary between them. It is important to study the vast differences between these two countries as it helps us see the world as a whole. It also helps us grow as individuals by seeing the how other people live in other places.

Sources Cited

CIA Factbook. “Mexico Geography.” 2008 25 Nov 2008 .

MEXonline.com. “Mexican Government Politics.” 2003. 25 Nov 2008 .

University at Albany. “United States Politics and Elections.” 2001. 25 Nov 2008 .