Evening star., 1943-01-24

adults and school pupils may dc-
qutre an up-to-date collection of
maps and notes on our neighbors
to the south.
Mexico, Uncle Sans nearest Latin
neighbor and war ally, is a land
painted in bold colors. Drama and
contrast mark its people, its land
scape and its history. 1t is rich
in natural resources, many of them
of special value now in carrying on
the war.
With more than 100000 square
miles, Mexico tapers south of the
Rio Grande in the rough form of a
cornucopia, or "horn of plenty" 1t
is more than four times the size
Of pre-Nazi Germany but with a
population of only about 1912
million. OF these some 80 per cent
are pure Indians and 60-odd per
cent of mixed Indian and Spanish
blood. At least so languages and
dialects are spoken in Mexico, in
Cludlng 50 or more Indian tongues
Shows Many Faces.
Even to the casual visitor Mexico
shows many faces. 1t has its bank
ers and stenographers, California
bungalows" smart shops and fac
tories, along with the burro, adobe
hut and barefoot peon in broad
hat and white cottons. Radios
airplanes and motor cars are
familiar phases of modern life in
country which still, in many
rural sections. grinds its corn be-
tween stones and holds to old su-
perstitions.
Strict customs and manners of
the old Spanish era persist side by
side with new scientific, educational
and art developments. To the
archeologist Mexico is fertile field
for research into Aztec and Mayan
civilizations which f1ourished in
pre- Columbian days. Economists
and sociologists study there such
long-term programs as the Gov
ernment's redistribution of farm
land under the ejido, or village
cooperative plan.
Physically, also, Mexico is a land
OF contrast and paradox. Although
its area is only about a quarter of
that of continental United States,
its offshore coastline is 500 miles
longer. Some 1,700 miles of this
distance are around slim Baja
GoweD California, a dry, noun
famous arm of land which Mexico
already had garrisoned before its
war declaration on June l, 1912.
Climate Arranged by Tiers.
Mexico has all kinds of terrain,
from below sea level in the Mexican
Imperial Valley along the Cali
fornia border to the 18,700-foot
mountain of Orizaba (Citlaltepec)
in the Eastern Sierra Madres
There are cactus-spiked deserts and
semi-arid plains in the north. and
tropical forests and rain drenched
coastlands in the south.
The major feature of the country
Is the high central plateau, fanked
east and west by mountain chains,
beyond which lie narrow coastal
regions. Most of the people live in
the central and southern sections
of the interior. The capital, Mexico,
D. F. Federal District, lies in the
heart of the south-central plateau.
With over million and half in
habitants, it is more than 1000 feet
above sea level.
Climate in mountain-tumbled
Mexico is largely a matter of alti-
tude. Graded in tiers, it ranges
from tropical heat along coastal low
lands to moderate weather in mid
die elevations and cool to bitter
temperatures in the high attitudes.
Farmland Is Limited.
Potential farmland is limited in
Mexico, with much of the area
either too dry. too steep, or both.
While irrigation is increasingly
practiced and new implements have
been widely introduced, farm meth
DDS In many places are still back
ward. Yet more than 10 per cent
of working Mexicans make their
living from the soil. For home
consumption they raise corn (chief
staple), beans, rice and other grains,
peppers, sugar cane, chickens and
pigs. Exported crops include avo-
cados (alligator pears), spring vege-
tables, citrus fruits and such tropi-
cal products as coffee, cacao and
bananas.
Livestock and various animal
products come from the big cattle
ranches of the northern plains and
uplandS, while in the remote south
east peninsula of Yucatan nearly
half of the worlds supply of sisal
hemp is produced in normal times
HardWoods and forest products, such
as chicle exported to the United
States for chewing gum, are among
other valuable resources.
Mexico raises increasing amounts
of cotton for its leading textile in
dustry. Although manufacturing
south Of the Rio Grande is still q
relatively minor factor in the ma
tional economy, industrial expan-
sion is also noticeable in other fields,
including the production of tobacco
beer, woolen goods, soap, shoes and
iron and steel.
Wealth in Mines and Oil Fields.
MeXico's chief natural wealth is
in its mines and oil fields. Until
the Mexican government took pos
session in 1888, foreign companies
owned practically all of the petro-
leum properties and still control
more than 80 per cent of the mines.
Mexican gold and silver deposits,
which poured their wealth into
the Spanish treasury following the
conquest of Cortez in 1919, continue
to yield generously with a 1910
output of some 100000 fine ounces
of silver and $4,000 fine ounces of
gold. Even more important in the
machine-age warfare of today are
its other minerals, such as lead,
zinc and copper, with smaller sup
pies of much-needed tin and
tungsten. Of special interest to the
war economy of the United States,
since it has been cut off from peace
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