According to localcollegeexplorer, Mexico (Spanish: México / Méjico) is a country in North America bordering the United States, Belize, and Guatemala. The capital of Mexico is Mexico City (Mexico City). Some major cities in Mexico are: Guadalajara, Mérida, Ciudad Juárez, Ecatepec, Puebla and Tijuana. The following three islands are also part of Mexico: Mexcaltitán, Isla Mujeres and Cozumel.
Mexico has a long history and has been inhabited by many different peoples over time. The Mayas, Olmecs, Toltecs, Mixtecs and Zapotecs are examples of this. These cultures have left their mark in the form of pyramids, temples and other structures, but some of the indigenous customs are still preserved today. The landscape of Mexico has deserts, volcanoes, waterfalls, rainforests, mountain areas, mangrove forests and up to 20,000 different plant species! This natural beauty is largely housed in 58 national parks. On the coastline of Mexico you will find numerous seaside resorts with white sandy beaches and clear blue water. These seaside resorts are ideal for water sports, such as: diving, snorkeling and kite surfing. The cuisine of Mexico is known worldwide for tortillas. See thenailmythology for Mexico tropical beaches and culture.
States of Mexico:
Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas and the Federal District of Mexico City.
Where is Mexico located?
Travel information of Mexico
Official name: United Mexican States
Continent: North America
Area: 1,958,201 km²
Capital: Mexico City (Mexico City)
Country code: MX, MEX
Population: 128,649,565 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Federal Republic
Highest point: 5,636 m (Peak of Orizaba)
Distance (Amsterdam – Mexico City): 9,232 km
Flight time: approximately 11 hours and 30 minutes
Travel Advisory
Current status: All non-essential travel to certain areas in Mexico is discouraged.
Current color code: Yellow and orange.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), (temporary) measures may apply in Mexico that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Mexico, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to Mexico. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (car rental, hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compose your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Mexico?
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay in Mexico at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Weather and climate
Mexico has several climate zones such as the desert climate, tropical climate and the maritime climate. The temperatures can be divided into 3 zones:
– Hot zone (up to 600 metres)
The average temperature is between 25 and 35 degrees.
– Temperate zone (600 to 1800 meters)
On average it is between 15 to 25 degrees.
– Cold zone (above 1800 meters)
On average it is 15 degrees.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Mexico can be found on our extensive weather page.
Extensive information about the climate of Mexico can be found at Climate info.
Best time
January, February, March, April, May, October, November and December are the best months to travel to Mexico.
January, February, March and December are the best months to travel to the state of Yucatán.
This avoids the rainy and hot summer months.
Language
Spanish is the official language in Mexico. In addition, English is spoken on a smaller scale and there are 62 indigenous language types.
Would you like to translate from or into Spanish for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months upon arrival in Mexico.
A visa is not necessary if you stay in Mexico for less than 180 days.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Mexico: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulates in Mexico: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Mexican Embassy in the Netherlands: embamex-nl.com.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Vaccination against yellow fever is mandatory for Mexico if you have visited a yellow fever country in the seven days before you visit Mexico. In addition, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria
In Mexico (Excluding Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Cozumel Island, Huatulco, Ixtapa, Manzanillo, Matamoros, Mazatlan, Mexico City, Mujeres Island, Nayarit, Nuevo Vallarta, Playa Blanca, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Angel, Puerto Aventuras, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Maya, Riviera Nayarit, San Jose del Cabo, Tampico, Tulum, Tuxpan, Vallarta Nayarit, Veracruz, Zihuatanejo, Chichen Itza and Coba) malaria is common. Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency
In Mexico, payment is made with the Mexican peso (MXN).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in Mexico can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
Prices in Mexico are much lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -55% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (65% cheaper), food (45% cheaper), imported beer in catering (38% cheaper), cigarettes (63% cheaper) and public transport (88% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In Mexico it is customary, especially in tourist areas, to tip around 10-15%.
Time difference
Mexico is divided into five different regions:
– Quintana Roo: 6 hours earlier (winter time), 7 hours earlier (summer time).
– Central Mexico (except Quintana Roo): 7 hours earlier.
– Northwest Mexico (except Baja California and Sonora): 8 hours earlier.
– Baja California: 9 hours earlier.
– Sonora: 8 hours earlier (winter time), 9 hours earlier (summer time).
Summer time in Mexico differs from that in the Netherlands.
The local times, dates, time zones, time zone map and exceptions for Mexico can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In Mexico you must drive on the right.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in Mexico.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Mexico.
Electricity
In Mexico you need a travel plug. In addition, in some cases you need an inverter.
More information about common plugs and sockets in Mexico can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 066
– Fire: 066
– Ambulance: 066
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Mexico can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Mexico can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Mexico end in.mx.
Mexico official websites: gob.mx and visitmexico.com.
Telephony
The country code (international prefix) to call someone in Mexico is 0052 or +52.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Mexico? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the leading 0 of the number to be called.)
All Mexico area codes can be found on Wikipedia.
Company details can be found in Mexico’s Yellow Pages.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of Mexico.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Mexico.
Public holidays
An overview of all public holidays in Mexico can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in Mexico, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Mexico?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Mexico. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Mexico can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in Mexico can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Mexico? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and perfume, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. In addition, on this website you will find the laws and regulations regarding the importation of pets and a list of everything that may not be imported and/or exported to Mexico.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you intend to do business in or do business with Mexico, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about Mexico, including: opportunities, import and export regulations, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, product requirements, business partners and subsidies.
Studying and internship
Are you considering a study, internship or gap year in Mexico? You are by no means the only one and certainly not the first. To help you on your way, Nuffic (the Dutch organization for internationalization in education) has set up the WilWeg.nl website. On this website you will find all the information that can help you on your way, such as admission requirements, forms of education, housing, scholarship, internships, health insurance, study costs and of course experiences.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant laws and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Mexico.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 18.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.8.
– Tobacco: Buying and/or smoking from the age of 18.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know that…
…Until the 19th century, the Chihuahua was only found in Mexico?
…Chocolate, corn and hot peppers were first produced in Mexico?
…The Puebla in Mexico is the smallest volcano on earth?
…Football is the most played sport in Mexico?
…The divorce rate in Mexico is among the lowest in the world?
…Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world?
