Talk:Mexico/Old version

Note: this article has been superseded by the new version at Mexico. Any remaining information here that's not covered elsewhere should be copied into the appropriate current article.

Mexico (the habitual pronunciation in English is ['mEksIk@U], the one in Spanish is ['mexiko], as coded using SAMPA, or in English equivalents, MEH-hee-koh) is a country located in North America, bordered to the north by the United States to the south by Guatemala and Belize, to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is Mexico City that has the status of Federal District in which the three parts of the Federal government are located. Important cities include Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puebla, Veracruz, Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl[?], Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Merida, Oaxaca.

Mexico is divided into 31 states and 1 Federal District (Distrito Federal), the government is organized as a Democratic Federal Republic with division of powers (executive power, held by the president of the republic; legislative power, represented by the congress and the judiciary power).

• Official name: "Estados Unidos Mexicanos" (United Mexican States or United States of Mexico).
• Languages: Spanish, Nahuatl, Mayan, Zapotecan[?], Lacandon[?], Tharahumara[?], Seri[?], Yaqui[?] and many others
• Currency: Peso, divided in 100 centavos.
• Current president: Vicente Fox Quezada (2000).

See also:

• Mexican food
• Mexican War of Independence[?]
• Anahuac

From the CIA World Factbook 2000. Not Wikified.

• History of Mexico
• Geography of Mexico
• Demographics of Mexico
• Government of Mexico
• Economy of Mexico
• Communications of Mexico
• Transportation of Mexico
• Military of Mexico
• Transnational issues of Mexico

(note: the pronunciation guides below are for the Spanish version of the names of the states)

Divisions of Mexico

Federal District

• Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal

Estados (States):

1. Aguascalientes
   • Pronunciation: AH - guahs - kah - lee- EN - teece (the "g" is pronounced softly, but like g, not j) (SAMPA ['aGwas ka'ljentes])
   • Origin of Name: Named after its capital city
   • Capital: Aguascalientes
   • Origin of Capital Name: Spanish for "Hot Waters" because of natural hot springs
2. Baja California (Norte)
   • Pronunciation: BAH - hah - kah- lee - FOR - nyah (SAMPA ['baxa kali'fornja])
   • Origin of Name: Spanish meaning "Lower California"; the name California is fictional, from a 15th-century novel
   • Capital: Mexicali
   • Origin of Capital Name:
3. Baja California Sur
   • Pronunciation: BAH - hah - kahl - ee- FOR - nyah - SUR (SAMPA ['baxa kali'fornja 'sur])
   • Origin of Name: Spanish meaning "South Lower California"; the name California is fictional, from a 15th-century novel
   • Capital: La Paz
   • Origin of Capital Name: Spanish for "The Peace"
4. Campeche
   • Pronunciation: kahm - PECH - eh (SAMPA [kam'petSe])
   • Origin of Name: Mayan town of Ah kim Pech (land of ticks)
   • Capital: Campeche
   • Origin of Capital Name: Same as name of state
5. Chiapas
   • Pronunciation: chee - AH - pahs (SAMPA [tSi'apas])
   • Origin of Name: After the Chiapa people, who lived in today's central region before the Spaniards arrived.
   • Capital: Tuxtla Gutiérrez
   • Also simply called "Tuxtla"
   • Origin of Capital Name:
6. Chihuahua
   • Pronunciation: chee - WAH - wah (SAMPA [tSi'wawa])
   • Origin of Name: From the name of the capital
   • Capital: Chihuahua
   • Origin of Capital Name:
7. Coahuila
   • Pronunciation: kwah WEE lah (SAMPA [koa'wila])
   • Origin of Name:
   • Capital: Saltillo
   • Origin of Capital Name: Family name of town's founder
8. Colima
   • Colima is a very small state on the Pacific coast
   • Pronunciation: koh LEE mah (SAMPA [ko'lima])
   • Origin of Name:
   • Capital: Colima
   • Origin of Capital Name:
9. Durango: Durango[?]
   • Pronunciation: dooh RONG goh (SAMPA [du'raNgo])
   • Origin of Name: Named after its capital city
   • Capital: Durango
   • Also called Victoria de Durango
   • Origin of Capital Name:
10. Guanajuato
    • Pronunciation: gwan ah WAH toh (SAMPA gwana'xwato])
    • Origin of Name: After the capital city
    • Capital: Guanajuato
    • Origin of Capital Name: After the Guanajuato people, a group of Native Americans
11. Guerrero
    • Pronunciation: gheh RRER o (the first rr is strongly trilled, the second r, clicked) (SAMPA [ge'rrero])
    • Origin of Name: After Vicente Guerrero, a Mexican revolutionary hero
    • Capital: Chilpancingo
    • Origin of Capital Name:
12. Hidalgo
    • Pronunciation: ee DAHL go (SAMPA [i'DalGo])
    • Origin of Name: After Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. The most importante Mexican hero in the Mexican Independence Revolution.
    • Capital: Pachuca
    • Origin of Capital Name:
13. Jalisco
    • Pronunciation: hall EES koh (SAMPA [xa'lisko])
    • Origin of Name:
    • Capital: Guadalajara
    • Origin of Capital Name: After the Spanish city of the same name, in turn named from the Arabic "Wad al Hadjarah," meaning "River of Stones"
14. México (Estado de)[?]
    • Pronunciation: MEH hee koh (SAMPA ['mexiko])
    • Origin of Name: After Mexica, "the people from the middle of the navel of the moon" - called "aztecs" by the Spaniards.
    • Capital: Toluca
    • Origin of Capital Name:
15. Michoacán
    • Pronunciation: mee choh wah KAHN (SAMPA [mitSoa'kan])
    • Origin of Name:
    • Capital: Morelia
    • Origin of Capital Name: After José María Morelos y Pavón, hero of the Mexican Revolution; previously called Valladolid
16. Morelos
    • Pronunciation: moh - RAY - loce (SAMPA [mo'relos])
    • Origin of Name: After José María Morelos y Pavón, hero of the Mexican Revolution
    • Capital: Cuernavaca
    • Origin of Capital Name:
17. Nayarit
    • Formerly the territory of Tepic; Nayarit since 1917
    • Pronunciation: nah - yar - REET (SAMPA [naja'rit])
    • Origin of Name:
    • Capital: Tepic
    • Origin of Capital Name:
    • Includes the Pacific Ocean Tres Marís islands
18. Nuevo Leon
    • Pronunciation: NWAY - voh - leh - OHN (SAMPA ['nweBo le'on])
    • Origin of Name: After the Leon province of Spain, literally meaning "New Lion"
    • Capital: Monterrey
    • Origin of Capital Name:
19. Oaxaca
    • Pronunciation: wah HAW kah (SAMPA [oa'xaka])
    • Origin of Name:
    • Capital: Oaxaca
    • Origin of Capital Name:
20. Puebla
    • Pronunciation: PWAY blah (SAMPA ['pweBlo])
    • Origin of Name: The Town (in feminine)
    • Capital: Puebla
    • Origin of Capital Name: Same as the state
21. Querétaro
    • Pronunciation: keh - RET - ah - roh (SAMPA [ke'retaro])
    • Origin of Name: Named after its capital city
    • Capital: : Querétaro
    • Origin of Capital Name: The city was already ancient at the time of Cristobal Colombo; meaning is uncertain
22. Quintana Roo
    • Pronunciation: keen - TAH - nah - ROH (the r is clicked) (SAMPA [kin'tana 'roo])
    • Origin of Name: After Andrés Quintana Roo. Yucatecan hero in the Independence Revolution.
    • Capital: Chetumal
    • Origin of Capital Name: Old Mayan town of Chaaktemal.
23. San Luis Potosí
    • Pronunciation: sahn - loo - EES - poh - toh - SEE (the u in Luis is very short) (SAMPA ['san 'lwis poto'si])
    • Origin of Name: From the name of the capital city
    • Capital: San Luis Potosí
    • Origin of Capital Name: After the old Spanish mission founded at this location, San Luis Rey (Saint Louis the King), and after a nearby hill, Cerro de Potosí (Hill of Potosí), famed for its silver mines, which in turn is named after the Potosí area of Bolivia (then part of Perú), which also was a mining district of renown.
24. Sinaloa
    • Pronunciation: SEE - nah - loh - ah (SAMPA [sina'loa])
    • Origin of Name:
    • Capital: Culiacán
    • Origin of Capital Name:
25. Sonora
    • Pronunciation: soh - NOH - rah (SAMPA [so'nora])
    • Origin of Name: After the native name "Xunutla".
    • Capital: Hermosillo
    • Origin of Capital Name: Family name of the town's founder.
26. Tabasco
    • Pronunciation: tah - BAHS - koh (SAMPA [ta'Basko])
    • Origin of Name: From the Tabasco River (Río Tabasco), now called the Río Grijalvo
    • Capital: Villahermosa
    • Origin of Capital Name: Spanish for "Beautiful Village"
27. Tamaulipas
    • Pronunciation: tah - mah - oo - LEE - pahs (SAMPA [tamaw'lipas])
    • Origin of Name:
    • Capital: Ciudad Victoria
    • Origin of Capital Name: Spanish for "Victoria City"
28. Tlaxcala
    • Pronunciation: (SAMPA [tlax'kala])
    • Origin of Name: From the ancient Aztec province of Tlaxcala, largely comprising the same area
    • Capital:Tlaxcala
    • Origin of Capital Name: Same as the estado name
29. Veracruz
    • Pronunciation: BEHR - ah - krooce (SAMPA ['bera 'krus])
    • Origin of Name: Spanish for "True Cross"
    • Capital: Jalapa
    • Also called Jalapa Enríquez
    • Origin of Capital Name:
30. Yucatán
    • Pronunciation: yoo- kah - TAHN (SAMPA [juka'tan])
    • Origin of Name: Native American language meaning "What did you say?" The (apocryphal) story goes that when the Spaniards first waded ashore on the Yucatán Peninsula, they asked the Native Americans watching, "What is this place?" The Native Americans, not understanding Spanish, asked "What did you say?" The Spanish, in their arrogance, assumed that anyone would understand their meaning, and took it to be the name.
    • Capital: Mérida
    • Origin of Capital Name: Named after the Spanish town of the same name, originally (in Latin) Augusta Emerita
31. Zacatecas
    • Pronunciation: sah - kah - THE - kahs (SAMPA [saka'tekas])
    • Origin of Name: Named after its capital city
    • Capital: Zacatecas
    • Origin of Capital Name: After the native Zacatec Indians, who in turn apparently took their name from the native Zacate grass

Mexico is also the name of some places in the United States of America:

• Mexico, Missouri
• Mexico, New York[?]