2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
Race results -- Women 's
Table:
Rank

Athlete

Nationality

Time

Notes

Mary Jepkosgei Keitany

Kenya

1:06:36

CR

Philes Ongori

Kenya

1:07:38

PB

Aberu Kebede

Ethiopia

1:07:39

PB

4

Caroline Cheptanui Kilel

Kenya

1:08:16

PB

5

Mestawet Tufa

Ethiopia

1:09:11

PB

6

Tirfi Tsegaye

Ethiopia

1:09:24

PB

7

Kim Smith

New Zealand

1:09:35

NR

8

Filomena Cheyech Daniel

Kenya

1:09:44

9
Silvia Skvortsova
Russia
1:09:56
SB

10
Amy Yoder Begley
United States
1:10:09
PB

11
Yurika Nakamura
Japan
1:10:19

12
Ryoko Kizaki
Japan
1:10:32

13
Workitu Ayanu
Ethiopia
1:10:35
PB

14
René Kalmer
South Africa
1:10:37
PB

15
Remi Nakazato
Japan
1:10:40

16
Serena Burla
United States
1:10:55
PB

17
Analía Rosa
Portugal
1:11:08
PB

18
Peninah Arusei
Kenya
1:11:10

19
Annerien van Schalkwyk
South Africa
1:11:26
PB

20
Dulce María Rodríguez
Mexico
1:11:32
SB

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Mary Jepkosgei Keitany ( born 18 January 1982 ) is a Kenyan long distance runner . She is the world record holder in a women-only marathon , having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01 . As of November 2019 , she sits third all-time at both the marathon and half marathon . Her former half marathon best of 1:05:50 ( 2011 ) lived three years as the women 's world record . She also has held the world record at 10 miles ( 50:05 minutes ) , 20 kilometres ( 1:02:36 ) , and 25 kilometres ( 1:19:53 ) , all of which were set in road races . In August 2018 she was honored by the Shoe4Africa foundation who funded and built the Mary Keitany Shoe4Africa school in Torokwonin , Baringo County , Kenya . She and her husband Charles sit on the Shoe4Africa school board .
Kenya ( /ˈkɛnjə/ ( listen ) ) , officially the Republic of Kenya ( Swahili : Jamhuri ya Kenya ) , is a country in Africa with 47 semiautonomous counties governed by elected governors . At 580,367 square kilometres ( 224,081 sq mi ) , Kenya is the world 's 48th largest country by total area . With a population of more than 47.6 million people , Kenya is the 29th most populous country . Kenya 's capital and largest city is Nairobi , while its oldest city and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa . Kisumu City is the third largest city and also an inland port on Lake Victoria . Other important urban centres include Nakuru and Eldoret . Kenya is bordered by South Sudan to the northwest , Ethiopia to the north , Somalia to the east , Uganda to the west , Tanzania to the south , and the Indian Ocean to the southeast . According to archaeological dating of associated artifacts and skeletal material , the Cushites first settled in the lowlands of Kenya between 3,200 and 1,300 BC , a phase referred to as the Lowland Savanna Pastoral Neolithic . Nilotic-speaking pastoralists ( ancestral to Kenya 's Nilotic speakers ) started migrating from present-day southern Sudan into Kenya around 500 BC . European colonisation of Kenya began in the 19th century during the European exploration of the interior . Modern-day Kenya emerged from a protectorate established by the British Empire in 1895 and the subsequent Kenya Colony , which began in 1920 . Numerous disputes between the UK and the colony led to the Mau Mau revolution , which began in 1952 , and the subsequent declaration of independence in 1963 .
The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships is an biannual ( from 1992 - 2010 annual ) half marathon competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations . It was contested from 1992 to 2005 , and replaced by the IAAF World Road Running Championships , a 20 kilometres race which had its inaugural event held in 2006 in Debrecen , Hungary . After a second edition of the Road Running Championships , which was over the half marathon distance , it reverted to the original name of the World Half Marathon Championships . The competition replaced the female-only IAAF World Women 's Road Race Championships , which was held annually from 1983 to 1991 .
Philes Moora Ongori ( born 19 July 1986 in Chironge , Kiamokama , in Kisii District ) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in half marathon and marathon events . Her early career was based in Japan and she won a number of All-Japan Corporate titles for the Hokuren team . She ran the 10,000 metres for Kenya at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics , but came to prominence in the half marathon in 2008 when she won the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon in the fastest time of the year . At the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships she won the silver medal . Ongori won on her marathon debut at the Rotterdam Marathon in 2011 , setting a time of 2:24:20 hours .
Aberu Kebede Shewaye ( born 12 September 1989 ) is an Ethiopian long distance runner who specializes in road running competitions . Her half marathon best of 1:07:39 is one of the fastest ever by an Ethiopian woman . She gained a bronze at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships with the performance and has won at the Berlin Marathon , Stramilano Half Marathon and the Rotterdam Marathon . She has a marathon best of 2:20:30 hours .
Ethiopia ( /ˌiːθiˈoʊpiə/ ; Amharic : ኢትዮጵያ , ʾĪtyōṗṗyā , listen ( help·info ) , Tigrinya : ኢትዮጵያ , Oromo : Itiyoophiyaa , Somali : Itoobiya , Afar : Itiyoophiyaa ) , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia , is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa . It shares borders with Eritrea to the north , Djibouti to the northeast , Somalia , and the de facto state of Somaliland to the east , Kenya to the south , South Sudan to the west and Sudan to the northwest . With over 109 million inhabitants , Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent with a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres ( 420,000 sq mi ) . Its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa , which lies a few miles west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the Nubian and Somali tectonic plates . Some of the oldest skeletal evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in Ethiopia . It is widely considered as the region from which modern humans first set out for the Middle East and places beyond . According to linguists , the first Afroasiatic-speaking populations settled in the Horn region during the ensuing Neolithic era . Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BCE , Ethiopia 's governmental system was a monarchy for most of its history . Oral literature tells that the monarchy was founded by the Solomonic dynasty of the Queen of Sheba , under its first king , Menelik I . In the first centuries , the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region , followed by the Ethiopian Empire circa 1137 . During the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa , Ethiopia and Liberia were two nations that preserved their sovereignty from long-term colonisation by a European colonial power and many newly-independent nations on the continent subsequently adopted its flag colours . However , the country was later occupied by Italy in 1936 and became Italian Ethiopia ( part of Italian East Africa ) until it was liberated during World War II .
Caroline Cheptanui Kilel ( born 21 March 1981 ) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes road running competitions , including the marathon . She was the winner at the 2011 Boston Marathon and the Frankfurt Marathon in 2010 and 2013 . Kilel has also won marathons in Ljubljana , Taipei , Nairobi and Palermo . Her personal best for the distance is 2:22:34 hours ( set in Frankfurt in 2013 ) . She also competes in half marathons and has a personal best of 1:08:16 hours over that distance .
Mestawet Tufa ( Amharic : መስታወት ቱፋ ; born 14 September 1983 in Arsi ) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner . She was the winner of the women 's 10,000 metres at the 2007 All-Africa Games and the runner up in the senior women 's race at the 2008 World Cross Country Championships .
Tirfi Tsegaye Beyene ( born 25 November 1984 ) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in marathon races . She has won the Berlin Marathon , the Paris Marathon ( in a course record ) , the Tokyo Marathon ( also in course-record time ) , and the Dubai Marathon . Her personal best of 2:20:18 hours came as winner of the 2014 Berlin Marathon .
Kimberley Kim Smith ( born 19 November 1981 in Papakura , Auckland ) is a New Zealand middle-distance and long-distance runner who retired in 2016 . She is a 2005 graduate of Providence College ( previously at Auckland 's King 's College . She first started running with Papakura Harriers . Smith won the 2004 NCAA Women 's Individual Cross Country Championship . She won three NCAA individual titles in indoor track ( 5,000 metres and 3,000 metres ) and outdoor track ( 5,000 metres ) during the 2003-04 season . Her four NCAA individual championships are the most by any runner in Providence College history . She set a national record in the marathon with a run at the 2010 London Marathon - she finished eighth in the women 's race and recorded a time of 2:25:21 . Her result was upgraded to sixth after Russian athletes Liliya Shobukhova and Inga Abitova were removed from the results for doping . She ran the fastest half marathon by a woman on United States soil when she won the 2011 Rock ' n Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon in 1:07:36 . Smith was leading the women 's field of the 2011 Boston Marathon by 50 seconds at the halfway point , but injured her leg at mile 15 and was forced to drop from the race with roughly seven miles remaining . She ran at the inaugural B.A.A . 10K in June and came second behind the Boston Marathon winner Caroline Kilel .
New Zealand ( Māori : Aotearoa [ aɔˈtɛaɾɔa ] ) is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean . The country has two main landmasses - the North Island ( Te Ika-a-Māui ) , and the South Island ( Te Waipounamu ) - and around 600 smaller islands . It has a total land area of 268,000 square kilometres ( 103,500 sq mi ) . New Zealand is about 2,000 kilometres ( 1,200 mi ) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and 1,000 kilometres ( 600 mi ) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia , Fiji , and Tonga . Because of its remoteness , it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans . During its long period of isolation , New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal , fungal , and plant life . The country 's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks , such as the Southern Alps , owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions . New Zealand 's capital city is Wellington , and its most populous city is Auckland . Sometime between 1250 and 1300 , Polynesians settled in the islands and developed a distinctive Māori culture . In 1642 , Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand . In 1840 , representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi , which declared British sovereignty over the islands . In 1841 , New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire and in 1907 it became a dominion ; it gained full statutory independence in 1947 and the British monarch remained the head of state .
The following are the national records in athletics in New Zealand . Those maintained by New Zealand 's national athletics federation , Athletics New Zealand ( ANZ ) , are the official records . This list also includes those listed by the IAAF but not recognised by ANZ as well as the best performances from lists maintained by other individuals and organisations .
Flomena Cheyech Daniel ( born July 5 , 1982 in West Pokot , Kenya ) is a Kenyan athlete who competes in long distance and marathon races . She set her personal best of 2:22:44 winning the 2014 Paris Marathon and was a gold medalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games . She represented Kenya at the 1999 IAAF Junior World Cross Country Championships in Dublin , Ireland and at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships . She was based in Japan between 2007 and 2010 , running for the Uniqlo corporate team , and was a two-time winner of the Japanese Corporate Half Marathon . She has also won marathons in Vienna and Toronto .
Russia ( Russian : Росси́я , tr . Rossiya , IPA : [ rɐˈsʲijə ] ) , or the Russian Federation , [ e ] is a European country located in Eastern Europe with a vast expanse of territory that stretches across Northern Asia . At 17,125,200 square kilometres ( 6,612,100 sq mi ) , it is by far the largest country in the world by area , covering more than one-eighth of the Earth 's inhabited land area , spanning eleven time zones , and bordering 16 sovereign nations . The territory of Russia extends from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east , and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the Caucasus in the south . With 146.7 million inhabitants living in the country 's 85 federal subjects as of 2020 , Russia is the most populous nation in Europe and the ninth-most populous nation in the world . Russia 's capital and largest city is Moscow ; other major urban areas include Saint Petersburg , Novosibirsk , Yekaterinburg , Nizhny Novgorod , Kazan and Chelyabinsk . The East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD . Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants , the medieval state of Rus arose in the 9th century . In 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire , beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium . Rus ultimately disintegrated into a number of smaller states , until it was finally reunified by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 15th century . By the 18th century , the nation had greatly expanded through conquest , annexation , and exploration to become the Russian Empire , which was the third largest empire in history , stretching from Poland on the west to Alaska on the east . Following the Russian Revolution , the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ( Russian SFSR ) became the largest and leading constituent of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR/Soviet Union ) , the world 's first constitutionally socialist state .
Amy Yoder Begley ( née Yoder ; born January 11 , 1978 in Topeka , Indiana ) is an American middle and long distance runner and a US Olympian in the 10,000 meter event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing . Yoder Begley lives in Atlanta Georgia where she is coach of the Atlanta Track Club , assisted by her husband Andrew Begley .
The United States of America ( USA ) , commonly known as the United States ( U.S. or US ) or America , is a country consisting of 50 states , a federal district , five major self-governing territories , and various possessions . [ g ] At 3.8 million square miles ( 9.8 million km2 ) , it is the world 's third or fourth-largest country by total area [ b ] and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe . Most of the country is located in central North America between Canada and Mexico . With an estimated population of over 328 million , the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world . The capital is Washington , D.C. , and the most populous city is New York City . Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago . European colonization began in the 16th century . The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast . Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolutionary War lasting between 1775 and 1783 , leading to independence . The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century - gradually acquiring new territories , displacing Native Americans , and admitting new states - until by 1848 it spanned the continent . During the second half of the 19th century , the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in the United States . The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed the country 's status as a global military power .
Yurika Nakamura ( 中村 友梨香 , Nakamura Yurika ) ( born 1 April 1986 in Fukuchiyama ) is a Japanese long-distance runner . Nakamura grew up in the Hyōgo Prefecture . She finished seventh at the 2006 World Road Running Championships , helping the Japanese team win the bronze medal in the team competition . In 2008 , she won the Nagoya Marathon in her marathon debut . In the 2008 Summer Olympics marathon , she finished 13th . She won the 2009 Sapporo Half Marathon title with a time of 1:09:20 .
Japan ( Japanese : 日本 , Nippon [ ɲippoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) or Nihon [ ɲihoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) ) is an island country located in East Asia . It is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east , and spans more than 3,000 kilometers ( 1,900 mi ) along the coast of the continent from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Philippine Sea in the south . Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire , Japan encompasses a stratovolcanic archipelago of about 6,852 islands , with five main islands ( Hokkaido , Honshu , Kyushu , Shikoku , and Okinawa ) comprising 97% of the country 's total area of 377,975 square kilometers ( 145,937 sq mi ) . Japan is officially divided into 47 prefectures and traditionally into eight regions . Approximately two-thirds of the country 's terrain is mountainous and heavily forested , and less than one-eighth of land is suitable for agriculture . Consequently , Japan is among the most densely populated and urbanized countries in the world , with over 90% of its population living in urban areas . The largest of these is the metropolitan area centered on the capital city of Tokyo , which is the most populous in the world and home to more than 38 million people . Japan itself is the world 's eleventh most populous country with a population of 126.2 million , of which 97.8% are ethnically Japanese . The kanji ( or Chinese characters ) that make up the name of Japan in the Japanese language mean sun origin ; in the Western world , the country is often known by the sobriquet Land of the Rising Sun . Periods of influence from other regions , primarily China , followed by periods of isolation , particularly from Western Europe , have characterized the history of Japan . While archaeological evidence indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period , the first written mention of the archipelago appears in Chinese texts from the first century AD . Between the fourth and ninth centuries , the kingdoms of Japan became gradually unified under an Emperor and imperial court based in Heian-kyō ( modern Kyoto ) .
Ryoko Kizaki ( Japanese : 木崎 良子 ; born 21 June 1985 ) is a Japanese long-distance runner who competes in marathon and half marathon races . She won the 2011 Yokohama Women 's Marathon in a personal best time of 2:26:32 hours . She is a three-time participant at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and a two-time medallist at the Summer Universiade .
Workitu Ayanu Gurmu ( born 19 April 1987 , in Addis Ababa ) is an Ethiopian runner who specializes in the 5000 metres . Workitu started her career in the junior races at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships , finishing fourth in the junior women 's race in 2004 and finishing sixth at both the 2005 and 2006 editions . She began running in road races in 2008 and she won the Egmond Half Marathon in 2009 ; her time of 1:16:33 was enough to beat Hilda Kibet to the finish line . She competed in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships for the first time in 2009 , and finished in 14th place overall . She ran a marathon personal best of 2:29:25 at the 2010 Paris Marathon , finishing in fifth place . As the 2010 edition had been cancelled , she attempted to defend her title at the 2011 Egmond Half Marathon . She came close to repeating the feat but ended up in second place , three seconds behind fellow Ethiopian Abebech Afework . She was close to her best at the 2011 Rome City Marathon , recording a time of 2:29:37 , which brought her sixth position overall .
René Kalmer ( born 3 November 1980 in Roodepoort , Gauteng ) is a female South African runner who has competed over distances ranging from 800 metres to the marathon . She represented South Africa at the 2008 Summer Olympics , running in the 1500 metres . She then represented South Africa again at the 2012 Summer Olympics , competing in the marathon . She is a two-time participant at the World Championships in Athletics ( 2001 and 2011 ) and has run at eight editions of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships . Her sister , Christine Kalmer , is also an international level runner .
South Africa , officially the Republic of South Africa ( RSA ) , is the southernmost country in Africa . It is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres ( 1,739 mi ) of coastline of Southern Africa stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans ; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia , Botswana , and Zimbabwe ; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini ( Swaziland ) ; and it surrounds the enclaved country of Lesotho . South Africa is the largest country in Southern Africa and the 24th-largest country in the world by land area and , with over 58 million people , is also the world 's 24th-most populous nation . It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere . About 80 percent of South Africans are of Bantu ancestry , divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different African languages , nine of which have official status . The remaining population consists of Africa 's largest communities of European , Asian ( Indian ) , and multiracial ( Coloured ) ancestry . South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a wide variety of cultures , languages , and religions . Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the constitution 's recognition of 11 official languages , which is the fourth-highest number in the world . Two of these languages are of European origin : Afrikaans developed from Dutch and serves as the first language of most coloured and white South Africans ; English reflects the legacy of British colonialism , and is commonly used in public and commercial life , though it is fourth-ranked as a spoken first language . The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d'état , and regular elections have been held for almost a century . However , the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994 . During the 20th century , the black majority sought to claim more rights from the dominant white minority , with this struggle playing a large role in the country 's recent history and politics .
Serena Burla ( born September 27 , 1982 ) is an American track and field athlete from St. Louis , specializing in long-distance running events . In college , Burla was a two-time Big 12 Conference runner-up for the Missouri Tigers . Burla competed in the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships where she finished 16th ( upgraded from 17th place after suspension of Inga Abitova ) . Burla won the 2013 USA Half Marathon Championships ( held as part of the Houston Half Marathon ) . At the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing , Burla placed 10th in the marathon with a time of 2:31:06 . Burla ran a Marathon PR of 2:26:53 to finish 4th in the 2017 Osaka Women 's Marathon .
Anália de Oliveira Rosa ( born 28 February 1976 ) is a Portuguese long-distance runner who competes in cross country , track and road running events , including the marathon . She has represented Portugal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships a total of nine times .
Portugal ( Portuguese : [ puɾtuˈɣal ] ) , officially the Portuguese Republic ( Portuguese : República Portuguesa [ ʁɛˈpuβlikɐ puɾtuˈɣezɐ ] ) , [ note 5 ] is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula , in southwestern Europe . It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe , being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain . Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira , both autonomous regions with their own regional governments . Portugal is the oldest nation state on the Iberian Peninsula and one of the oldest in Europe and the world , its territory having been continuously settled , invaded and fought over since prehistoric times . The pre-Celtic people , Iberians , Celts , Carthaginians and Romans were followed by the invasions of the Visigoths and Suebi Germanic peoples . After the Muslim conquests of the Iberian Peninsula , most of the territory was part of Al-Andalus until their expulsion . Portugal as a country was established during the early Christian Reconquista . Founded in 868 , the County of Portugal gained prominence after the Battle of São Mamede in 1128 . The Kingdom of Portugal was later proclaimed following the Battle of Ourique in 1139 , and independence from León was recognised by the Treaty of Zamora in 1143 . On 12 December 2017 , the Portuguese Navy commemorated the 700th anniversary of its official creation by King Denis of Portugal . Tracing its origins back to the 12th century , it is the oldest continuously serving navy in the world . In the 15th and 16th centuries , Portugal established the first global empire , becoming one of the world 's major economic , political and military powers .
Peninah Arusei Jerop ( born 1 January 1979 in Uasin Gishu ) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions , especially the half marathon . She has represented Kenya at the Olympics , having competed in the 10,000 metres race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics . Arusei has won races on the European road circuit , including the Dam tot Damloop , Berlin Half Marathon and Lisbon Half Marathon .
Dulce María Rodríguez de la Cruz ( born 14 August 1972 in Toluca ) is a Mexican long-distance runner who competes in track and road running events , including the marathon . A three-time Olympian for Mexico ( 2000 , 2004 and 2008 ) , she has also run for Mexico at the World Championships in Athletics on three occasions . Rodríguez has won medals internationally for Mexico , including two golds and a silver from the Central American and Caribbean Games and a silver from the 2007 Pan American Games . She holds a marathon best of 2:28:54 hours , set at the 2006 Chicago Marathon , and has won domestic marathon races in Mexico City , Torreón and Monterrey . She has won numerous national titles in long-distance events , including the 10,000 m in 1999 , five 1500 m titles from 2000 to 2005 , and two Mexican titles in the marathon in 2005 and 2009 .
Mexico ( Spanish : México [ ˈmexiko ] ( listen ) ; Nahuatl languages : Mēxihco ) , officially the United Mexican States ( UMS ; Spanish : Estados Unidos Mexicanos , EUM [ esˈtaðos uˈniðoz mexiˈkanos ] ( listen ) , lit . Mexican United States ) , is a country in the southern portion of North America . It is bordered to the north by the United States ; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean ; to the southeast by Guatemala , Belize , and the Caribbean Sea ; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico . Covering almost 2,000,000 square kilometers ( 770,000 sq mi ) , the nation is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the 13th largest independent state in the world . With an estimated population of over 129 million people , Mexico is the tenth most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world , while being the second most populous nation in Latin America after Brazil . Mexico is a federation comprising 31 states plus Mexico City ( CDMX ) , which is the capital city and its most populous city . Other metropolises in the country include Guadalajara , Monterrey , Puebla , Toluca , Tijuana , and León . Pre-Columbian Mexico dates to about 8000 BC and is identified as one of six cradles of civilization and was home to many advanced Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Olmec , Toltec , Teotihuacan , Zapotec , Maya , and Aztec before first contact with Europeans . In 1521 , the Spanish Empire conquered and colonized the territory from its politically powerful base in Mexico-Tenochtitlan ( part of Mexico City ) , which was administered as the viceroyalty of New Spain . The Roman Catholic Church played a powerful role in governing the country as millions were converted to the faith , although King Charles III expelled the Jesuits in the 1770s . The territory became a nation state following its recognition in 1821 after the Mexican War of Independence . The post-independence period was tumultuous , characterized by economic inequality and many contrasting political changes .