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Editor's Notes

• #3: Mexico is part of the continent North America, south of USA and north of Central America. On its east is the gulf of mexico and on its west is the south pacific ocean. It lies approximately 20 to 30 degrees North and 116 to 92 degrees West on a world globe. With its capital Mexico City.
• #4: >Chiapas Highlands. These rise on the opposite side of the isthmus and run southeastward to Guatemala. The land is high and rough, especially along the Pacific Coast. To the northeast, the mountains decline and merge with the plateau of Yucatan.
• #5: >Sierra Madres. This region consists of the three mountain ranges fringing the plateau's V-shaped edge. They are the Sierra Madre del Sur on the south, the Sierra Madre Occidental on the west, and the Sierra Madre Oriental on the east. The ranges are marked by deep gorges, canyons, and knifelike ridges. In the south the Sierra Madre del Sur drops abruptly to the lowlands of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. >Gulf Coastal Plain. This flat to rolling, occasionally swampy, lowland runs along the eastern coast. It narrows as it extends southward from the Texas border and almost disappears, because of mountains, between Tampico and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
• #6: About a quarter of the land is covered by forests, mainly in the southeastern lowlands and along the slopes of the Sierra Madres.
• #7: Actual picture of Sierra Madre Occidental
• #8: The largest is Lake Chapala near Guadalajara.
• #10: Climates range from perpetually cold on the highest peaks to tropical rainy or dry in the lowlands.
• #13: Various types of grasses, bushes, cacti, and scrubby trees are scattered over most of Mexico.
• #14: northern Mexico cougars, black bears, coyotes, wolves, buzzards, ducks, and woodpeckers.
• #15: southern Mexico monkeys, jaguars, ocelots, and parrots Reptiles, including rattlesnakes, lizards, and iguanas, are common throughout much of the country.
• #16: Mexicans place a high value on family and traditional values.
• #17: >the Criollos who are of Spanish descent, controls much of Mexico’s property and wealth. Women’s roles in the upper class reflect the freedoms provided by help in the home from working class women who do much of the childcare, cooking and cleaning. >They are small business owners and employees, civil servants, union members, and self-employed professionals. Middle class lifestyles are somewhat approximate to those in the U.S., with families living in houses or apartments, owning one or more cars, and having access to educational and health care facilities. >Poverty disproportionately affects Mexico’s Indigenas, lower class minority made up of indigenous Amerindian descent and some Mestizos. Contributing factors are the Amerindians’ marginalized life style of subsistence farming, limited educational opportunities for non Spanish speaking citizens and entrenched prejudices in the wider culture, which prevent upward mobility.
• #18: Spanish is the official language of the country and nearly all Mexicans speak it. Mexican Indians usually speak Spanish and their own ancient language. Over 5 million Mexican Indians still use an Indian language primarily. Some indigenous Mexican words have even become common in other languages, such as the English language. For instance, the words tomato, chocolate, coyote, and avocado . Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. >9% of the population is upper class “criollos,” of primarily Spanish descent. 50% of the population is middle class “mestizos,” of mixed Spanish and Amerindian descent and some “criollos.” 40% of the population is lower class “indigenas,” of indigenous Amerindian descent with some “mestizos.” 1% of the population is Afro-Mexican and other minority descent.
• #19: In 2010, Mexico was the third largest oil exporter to the United States (7.5%), behind only Canada and Saudi Arabia. The principal manufacturing industries include food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, textiles, clothing, and motor vehicles. Other industries include footwear, metalworking, furniture, and other wood products. The soft drink industry produces 8 million bottles per year. Mexico's oil refinery capacity was 1.525 million barrels per day in 2002. In 2001, Mexico produced 1.85 million motor vehicles, down 4% from 2000; it produced over 80,000 heavy trucks in 2000, down 15% from 1999. Leading manufacturers are Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, and Volkswagen.
• #20: The basic diet of working-class Mexicans relies heavily on corn or wheat tortillas, along with beans, tomatoes, and chili peppers.
• #21: Mexico has one of the most highly-developed carbonated beverage industries in the world, and soft drink consumption is extremely high. Of course, Mexican-produced beer is very popular in Mexico is also sold throughout the United States. All of the Corona beer that is imported into the United States is produced in the state of Zacatecas. Recently, Mexico has increased the quality of its wine production. Mexico is famous for its tequila and it is manufactured on a large scale. Tequila is made from the agave cactus, which grows well in the climate of central Mexico.
• #24: Dominican Republic, a country occupying the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the West Indies.
• #25: The Dominican Republic is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the north, Mona Passage on the east, the Caribbean Sea on the south, and Haiti on the west. The area of the country is 18,816 square miles. The greatest length (east to west) is about 240 miles. The north-south width varies from 40 to 170 miles (64 to 274 km). It lies approximately 18 to 27 degrees North and 69to 54 degrees West on a world globe.
• #26: The Dominican Republic is a mountainous country, with five distinct ranges. The Cordillera Central, or central range, includes Pico Duarte (10,417 feet [3,175 m] above sea level), the highest peak in the West Indies.
• #28: Mountains: Pico Duarte- 10,164 feet
• #30: dominicana (woman) or dominicano (man) The upper class is historically descended from European ancestry and is light skinned. The lower class is most often black, descendants of the African slave population or Haitians. The mulattoes are people of mixed African and European ancestry and make up the majority of the population; they have created a growing middle class. This middle class is divided into indioclaro, who have lighter skin, and indioobscuro, who are darker skinned. The term indio(Indian) is used because many Dominicans do not yet acknowledge their African roots. >Spanish is the official language of the country and which street signs and restaurant menus are written in. Even though the people linked to the tourist trade generally speak English, knowing some Spanish is a great advantage. 
• #31: The main meal is served at midday and can last up to two hours. La bandera(the flag) is a popular national dish; the white rice and red beans remind people of the flag colors, hence the name. Another favorite dish is sancocho, a meat, plantain, and vegetable stew. On special occasions, such as Christmas or Easter, extended families sit down together for large feasts. Roasted pig, pigeon peas (small yellow beans), and boiled chestnuts are served at Christmas. Fish is the traditional dish at Easter. Small quantities of chicken, beef, pork, or goat are eaten with a meal. Food is generally not spicy ��
• #32: The Dominican Republic is among the fastest-growing economies in Latin America. Throughout history, the economy has been based on the production and export of sugar. Sugarcane is still a big cash crop, along with rice, plantains (starchy green bananas), and bananas. Sugar and cattle production require large tracts of land and ownership has changed over time Cattle raising, an important source and symbol of wealth in the countryside, was feasible for many because the animals were branded and left to graze freely on open land. Mining of ferro-nickel, gold, and silver has recently surpassed sugar as the biggest source of export earnings. Manufacturing of food, petroleum products, beverages, and chemicals contributes about 17 percent of the GDP. Products such as textiles, garments, and light electronic goods intended for export are assembled.