Norwich bulletin., 1914-05-02

The following Information concern | ing Mexico was given out by the Ma tional Geographic Society in Wash ington, D. C., reeently:-
 It is interesting to note that the area Of Mexico is practically as great | as that of the United States between l the Mississippi River and the Atian- tic coast. the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, varying in altitude from sea level to 1S,e08 feet. It's climate is affected by these elevations 1 and by a range of IS degrees of lau- tude. Twelve hundred miles is the distance traversed in passing south 1 from JuareZ. on the northern bound 1 ary. to the capital and 800 miles more 1 to the southeastern boundary. The Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean seq | coast line extends for 1,7eo miles. while the Pacific ocean and Gulf of Caiifor- l mia touch 1000 miles of Mexico coast Prior to 1886, Mexico, as a Spanish
 colony, and the United States covered approximately equal areas, but the Texas secession and the result of the Mexican War added nearly 1.00e, ,0oO square miles to our territory, and the extent of Mexico now is less than | one-fourth that of continental United States. Mexico has still territorial | expanse equal to the aggregate of Austria-Hungary. Germany, France, | Great Britain and Ireland. The total area of the republic, 767,0o0 square
 miles. is less than that of Texas, Cal | ifornia, Montana, New Mexico and Arizona combined.
 The average density of population | Of Mexico approximates 20 per square
 mile, the most thickly populated DOT tions. outside of the Federal district, | being the states of Tlaxcala and Mex ! leo, the former being less than Della | ware in size and of about the same density of population, and the latter being nearly as large as New Hamp- | shire. but with more than twice the | number of inhabitants. The Federal | district, modelled after the District of Columbia, but of eight times greater area, is surrounded by the State of Mexico, the large population of the l capital, 410.000, materially aiding in | bringing the average to more than l,200 per square mile
 During nearly 300 years subsequent
 to the conquest by Cortez. Spain 6om- l mated Mexico. A century ago a bold effort for freedom was started which
 eventually resulted in the Republic of the first century of Mexican independ- ence was abortive, one coterie after another coming into temporary power. and number of those acclaimed
 rulers. after brief reigne, meetings ignominious death at the hands of the l people they sought to govern.
 The form of government adopted by Mexico follows in general that of the United States having executive judicial and legislative divisions. Each of the twenty-seven states is | represented in two houses of Congress, | composed of senators and deputies. Congress holds two sessions each year
 for limited periods. Each state has | its governor and legislature. and is sub- divided into district or counties,
 over each of which jefe politico'
 is placed, the districts having sub sidiary municipalities with magis- trates. presiding officials and councils. The so-called autocratic feature of the government may be largely due to the | fact that governors hold office with aip-
 proval of the President: that jefe ! politicos have similar relations with
 the governors, and that the officers of l the municipalities are generally con- trolled by the jefe politicos.
 The church and state are indepen- | dent, and Congress cannot pass laws | ligion. Of the 16,000,O0o inhabitants. | two -fifths claim direct descent from ancient tribes or families which are accepted on the basis of Mexican his tory, two-fifths are of mixed native and foreign blood the remainder being classed under the common appellation of foreign"
 The City of Mexico, 462 miles by
 rail west of Vera Cruz and 7.400 feet altitude. is reached by two rail routes. climbing from the hot lands through difficult mountain passes, one of which Cortes in 1519, by General Winfield Scott with American troops in Is47. and over which. fifteen years later, the invading French troops passed. It is
 the most populous city. One-half of the railroad mileage of the country is about an equal amount between 5000 and 10000.