Mexico-The+History

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The **United Mexican States**, commonly known as **Mexico** ( English), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States ; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean ; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize , and the Caribbean Sea ; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost 2 million square kilometres (over 760,000 sq mi) Mexico is the fifth-largest country in the Americas by total area and the 14th largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of 111 million, it is the 11th most populous country. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city. In Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec , the Teotihuacan , the Maya and the Aztec before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory, which was administered as the viceroyalty of New Spain which would eventually become Mexico as the colony gained independence in 1821.