Why 80% of Mexicans Live on This Strip

Bright Side

About 80 percent of Mexico is empty due to a mix of natural and human-made factors. The harsh terrain of the Sierra Madre mountain ranges makes it tough to farm and build infrastructure. Mexico also deals with natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanic activity, and hurricanes, especially in coastal areas, making living there risky and expensive. Indigenous populations historically settled in more fertile areas, and their displacement over time left some regions sparsely populated. Plus, agrarian reforms and cultural differences among various groups have led to uneven population distribution.     Credit: Stylized Coin: By BarracudaByte, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, https://skfb.ly/oppHG Animation is created by Bright Side.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00Mexico is huge, and one of the most populated countries in the world.

00:05Over 128 million people live there.

00:08But why did more than half of them decide to pack up in this tiny strip?

00:13This area in the center of the country makes up only 18% of Mexico, and the locals have

00:18been living there for centuries.

00:21All because it seems to be the only livable place in the country.

00:25To the north, there are hot, dry deserts.

00:28Let's face it, it may be pretty hard to survive in such climatic conditions.

00:33To the south, there are jungles, and those are nightmarish!

00:38Jungles are warm and wet, so they might trick you into thinking that they'll be a cozy

00:42home for you.

00:44But it's very hard to build anything in there.

00:47The concrete won't dry because of awful unstoppable rains, and the heat messes up

00:52asphalt roads.

00:54This is why there are only 8 paved roads through the southern jungles connecting Mexico

00:59to Central America.

01:01Roads are crucial for proper life.

01:04More roads mean better and cheaper transportation, which helps people trade, do business, and

01:10make more money.

01:12But jungles have even bigger problems than just a lack of roads.

01:16Farming.

01:17Most of the nutrients in the jungle are in the plants, old wood, and decaying leaves.

01:23When these things decay, they become McDonald's-level meals for insects, fungi, and bacteria.

01:29They immediately start recycling the nutrients so fast that almost none reach the soil.

01:35With no nutrients, the soil becomes barren and useless.

01:38Oh, and we still need to clear the jungles from time to time, otherwise they may become

01:44impossible to get through.

01:46People do that by using slash-and-burn methods.

01:49Because of this, they often end up with poor soil that needs lots of fertilizers to grow

01:54crops.

01:55And don't forget about the ever-present jungle pests.

01:59These guys pounce on the crops, and no amount of pesticides can get rid of them forever.

02:05To make matters even worse, nearly 70% of Mexico is located in the mountains.

02:11It's one of the most mountainous countries in the world, similar to Switzerland.

02:15And mountains, just like rain, do everything in their power to prevent humanity from thriving.

02:21Building infrastructure there is nearly impossible.

02:24It requires tons of money and labor compared to flatlands.

02:27And they also make transportation between these valleys and to the coast much more challenging.

02:32Now, imagine mountains combined with the jungles.

02:36Exactly.

02:38But hold on a minute.

02:39Isn't the central strip of Mexico filled with the highest mountains in the country?

02:43This area is packed with plateaus and valleys and sits at elevations of 7,000 feet or more.

02:50This is as high as a ski resort in Aspen, Colorado.

02:54Then why in the world does everyone still live here?

02:58Turns out, these are actually good mountains.

03:01Since they're so high, they block the hotness of the desert and the tropical zones.

03:06This way, they create cooler, drier, and more temperate climates.

03:10The soil here is super fertile and great for farming.

03:14All because of the plot twist.

03:16Many of the surrounding mountains are actually volcanoes.

03:19Volcanoes, while scary, can also be super useful.

03:24They've been erupting for millions of years, and when they do that, they mix rich minerals

03:29into the soil.

03:30They're like natural fertilizer.

03:32So the land here is perfect for growing crops, especially calorie-heavy grains like corn.

03:38That's why we get so much corn, or maize, from Mexico.

03:42Also, many volcanic areas have natural hot springs where people can relax and enjoy a

03:47warm soak.

03:49Finally, mountains help reduce the spread of viruses and insects.

03:54This is one of the reasons why Mesoamerica became one of the first cradles of civilization

03:58in history.

04:00Thousands of years ago, the ancient city of Teotihuacan thrived here.

04:06This city reached a population of at least 125,000 people, bigger than Monaco or Liechtenstein.

04:13It was one of the largest cities in the world at the time.

04:16Back in the days of the Aztec Empire, this area was home to five large lakes and many

04:22rivers that provided tons of fresh water for farming.

04:25Also, people used boats to transport goods.

04:29This boosted trading and cultural growth.

04:33But living in the mountains still isn't perfect.

04:36Only about 12% of Mexico's land is good for farming, so mostly people farm in the central

04:41volcanic valleys, where they've lived for centuries.

04:45Also, because the elevation is so high, the rivers flow from the mountains to the ocean.

04:52Gravity plays its tricks, and the currents accelerate and become stronger.

04:57Because of this, there's no cheap river transport between Mexico City and the ocean.

05:01The rivers are too dangerous for the ships.

05:04Instead, people have to rely on more expensive methods like roads, railways, and airplanes.

05:11Veracruz used to be the local star port.

05:14It was the only safe and calm place on the Gulf of Mexico.

05:18Since it was the only natural harbor for miles along Mexico's flat coastline, it was super

05:23important, not only for locals, but also a hot target for invaders.

05:29And while mountains could keep Mexico's heartland kinda safe, protecting coastal areas was harder

05:35because of them.

05:37Connecting Veracruz to Mexico City was a massive headache.

05:42And don't forget that living near volcanoes is still scary.

05:45Every now and then, they throw temper tantrums and start spewing lava, ash, and smoke everywhere.

05:51This is extremely dangerous, so locals have to evacuate to keep everyone safe.

05:57One famous volcanic event happened in 1943 with the Paricutin volcano.

06:03Imagine a farmer's surprise when a volcano suddenly erupted right in his cornfield.

06:08The volcano grew rapidly and buried two villages in lava and ash.

06:13Most people managed to evacuate in time, but not all of them.

06:17Another dramatic event was the eruption of El Chichon in 1982.

06:22This eruption was a big surprise and caused a lot of destruction.

06:27Finally, there's Popocatépetl volcano.

06:31In the Aztec language, this means smoking mountain.

06:35People affectionately call it El Popo.

06:38This volcano is still active and quite close to Mexico City.

06:41El Popo frequently lets off steam and ash, reminding everyone that it's very much alive.

06:47Living near El Popo means always being prepared that something might happen.

06:52Also, the reason why volcanoes are there is because the local tectonic plates are pretty

06:57active.

06:58The ground likes to move, which means that earthquakes aren't a rare occasion here either.

07:04Well, at least the climate on the central strip is nice, so modern construction materials

07:08like concrete and asphalt thrive here.

07:11Finally, we can build some roads, right?

07:14Oops, never mind.

07:16Because of the elevation, the locals only managed to build the first railroad in the

07:1919th century.

07:21Meanwhile, the US had already built over 50,000 miles of tracks at the time.

07:27Can you imagine?

07:29Since Mexico is like a jigsaw puzzle of separate valleys, it's very tricky to build roads and

07:34railways through the mountains.

07:36Basically, there are no cheap ways to move goods in the country.

07:41But a few cities found a way to thrive outside the central strip.

07:46Chihuahua is one of the largest cities in Mexico, and it's doing pretty well.

07:50They boast good automotive and electronics industries.

07:53That's probably because it's connected to the US border, which really helps trading.

07:58Hermosillo is also located in the desert, but luckily, it's right near the Gulf of California,

08:04so the temperatures aren't that awful.

08:06Plus, it helps marine trading.

08:09In this city, they even made up some advanced irrigation techniques that make the desert

08:14bloom.

08:15Also, Hermosillo is a major center for the aerospace industry.

08:19However, Mexico City still remains the life center in the country, and it's one of the

08:24world's largest megacities, with over 22 million people.

08:30But it's hard for the central government in Mexico City to control this puzzle of a country.

08:35Trading between the central valleys and the northern deserts or southern jungles is very

08:40tough, and supporting the economy may be sort of frustrating.

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