Landforms of Mexico

Paricutín is a cinder cone volcano located in the Mexican state of Michoacán. It is one of the youngest volcanoes in the world, having formed and erupted from a cornfield in 1943. The volcano is named after the small village of Paricutín, which was buried by the eruption.

The Peninsular Ranges System is a series of six coastal mountain ranges running from north to south along the entire Baja California Peninsula in northwestern Mexico. The Tres Vírgenes volcanic complex contains the only stratovolcanoes on the peninsula.

Pico de Orizaba is an inactive stratovolcano on the southern edge of the Mexican Plateau. It is home to the largest glacier in Mexico, Gran Glaciar Norte. Pico de Orizaba National Park protects the volcano and the surrounding area.

The Río Bravo, known as the Rio Grande in the United States, emerges as a formidable force of nature, carving its path through the rugged terrain of the North American Southwest. This iconic river ranks fifth-longest in North America and 20th-longest globally, weaving through a myriad of landscapes and cultures. The river forms the natural boundary between Mexico and the United States in its lower reaches.

San Lorenzo Marine Archipelago National Park, located on San Lorenzo Island, is part of an archipelago in the Gulf of California off the eastern coast of Baja California. The area is protected due to its importance as a habitat for several endangered species.

The Sierra de Huautla is a mountain range in south-central Mexico. The Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve is located in the Balsas River basin. Its rough topology contains a broad representation of ecosystems constituting a rich reservoir of species endemic to Mexico.

The Sierra del Carmen is the northernmost section of the eastern Sierra Madre range in Mexico, a sky island with ridges and peaks that rise from the base of the Chihuahuan Desert. The Maderas del Carmen Biosphere Reserve protects part of the Sierra del Carmen.

​The Sierra Madre de Chiapas is a major mountain range of Central America that runs parallel to the Pacific coast, from southern Mexico northwest-southeast across the southern half of Guatemala and into El Salvador and Honduras.

Nestled amidst the rugged mountains of southern Mexico lies the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, a region of unparalleled ecological and cultural significance. This semi-arid landscape harbors a remarkable diversity of plant and animal life while witnessing over 12,000 years of human habitation.

The Lerma River is a significant watercourse within the intricate network of Mexico's waterways, known for its length and crucial role in the Lerma-Chapala basin. Originating near Toluca, this river meanders through diverse landscapes, traversing the states of Mexico, Queretaro, Michoacán, and Guanajuato before emptying into Lake Chapala. The river ranks as the country's second-longest, shaping the ecosystems and livelihoods of millions of people along its course.