Mexico vs United States

Why people mix them up

Mexico and the United States are not usually confused by name, but they are neighbours sharing a long land border, and people often compare them: which is bigger, where the border runs, and how the two countries differ. Both are federal republics made up of states, both have coastlines on the Pacific and on the Atlantic side, and large parts of the US Southwest were once Mexican territory.

How to tell them apart

• The United States is about five times larger by area and has far more people, although Mexico is still one of the most populous countries in the Americas.
• Mexico's flag is a vertical tricolour of green, white and red with an eagle on a cactus eating a snake; the US flag has stars and stripes.
• The capitals are Mexico City (Mexico) and Washington, D.C. (United States). Mexico City sits on a high plateau in the centre of the country.
• Spanish is the main language of Mexico, which also recognises dozens of Indigenous languages; English is the main language of the United States.
• Mexico uses the peso; the United States uses the dollar.
• Mexico borders Guatemala and Belize to the south; the United States borders Canada to the north.

Memory hook

Mexico's flag tells a story with its eagle and snake; the US flag counts its states with stars. Follow the Rio Grande: north is the US, south is Mexico.

On the map

Find North America and look below the United States. Mexico narrows as it runs southeast, curving down to Central America, with the long Baja California peninsula hanging off its northwest and the Yucatán Peninsula pointing north on its east side. Much of the eastern part of the border follows the Rio Grande. If you are tapping the country that touches Guatemala, it is Mexico.