One of the biggest and most important cities in all of North America, Mexico City is the capital and most populous city of Mexico. It's also the most populous city in North America, being home to approximately 8.9 million people, with over 21.3 million in the surrounding Greater Mexico City area, which is the biggest metropolitan area in the entire Western Hemisphere. The city covers an area of 573 square miles and is located in the Central Time Zone.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the oldest capital city throughout the Americas and was actually founded by Native Americans, with its history going back many, many years. The city was first built by the Aztecs and called Tenochtitlan in 1325, but was destroyed nearly two centuries later in 1521 during the Siege of Tenochtitlan, with the city being the capital of the Aztec Empire at the time. After being destroyed, the city was rebuilt in a Spanish style and renamed Mexico Tenochtitlan in 1524, before being renamed again to Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico City) in 1585. It was a key center for the Spanish and then became just as important to Mexico when the country achieved independence.
Nowadays, Mexico City is a major cultural, commercial, and touristic center for Mexico, filled with a mixture of modern high-rise buildings and old-fashioned Spanish-style architecture. Greater Mexico City has a gross domestic product of $411 billion, accounting for over 20% of Mexico's entire economy. The city is known for its progressive nature, distinctive monuments, and multitude of historic sites and attractions like the Angel of Independence, Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and National Palace.
Elevation of Mexico City in Feet
The elevation of a town or city is an indicator of high or low that location is in relation to the mean sea level of Earth. Many major cities are located in coastal areas with relatively low elevations of 500 feet (152 m) or less, and low elevation areas tend to have slightly warmer temperatures than high elevation settlements. Elevation is an important geographical statistic with a lot of uses and influences. The elevation of Mexico City is extremely high at 7,380 feet (2,250 m).
The city's lowest point is at an elevation of 7,200 feet (2,200 m), while its highest point is at 12,890 feet (3,930 m), and many of the surrounding mountains and volcanoes can reach elevations exceeding 16,000 feet (5,000 m). Most other capital cities around the world are situated at much lower elevations than Mexico City, and the city’s exceedingly elevated location has a strong effect on its weather conditions. Due to the high elevation in Mexico City, visitors who are used to living at much lower elevations may need some time to adapt to the thinner air, with altitude sickness beginning to set in as one approaches elevations of 8,000 feet (2,500 m).
The average elevation in Mexico is given as 3,645 feet (1,111 m), so the elevation of Mexico City is much higher than the national average. The highest point in all of Mexico is the Pico de Orizaba, a strotvolcano with an elevation of 18,491 feet (5,636 m). The lowest point in the country is the Laguna Salada dry lake, which is located in the Sonoran Desert in Baja California and has an elevation of 33 feet (10 m) below sea level. Other major cities around Mexico include Ecatepec, which has an elevation of 7,380 feet (2,250 m), Guadalajara, which has an elevation of 5,138 feet (1,566 m), Puebla, which has an elevation of 7,005 feet (2,135 m), and Ciudad Juarez, which has an elevation of 3,730 feet (1,137 m).
Climate and More
Mexico City's high elevation causes it to have a subtropical highland climate, and weather conditions can actually vary around the city depending on elevation. The low-lying boroughs can receive less rainfall and slightly warmer temperatures than the higher elevation areas. Mexico City receives large amounts of rainfall through from May to October, with the other parts of the year seeing much less rain in general. The hottest month of the year in Mexico City is May, which has average highs of 27°F (80°C), while the coldest month of the year is January, with average lows of 45°F (7°C).
As an enormous capital city, Mexico City has a lot of attractions and reasons to visit. Many museums, landmarks, monuments, eateries, bars, live entertainment venues, and more can be found all around Mexico City, with some of the key touristic spots being the Angel of Independence, Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, Chapultepec Castle, and National Palace.
