The Natural borders of Mexico Coincide with its boundaries to the north with the United States and to the southeast with Guatemala and Belize.
There are two types of borders, artificial and natural. The artificial ones are those created by the human being, are imaginary lines or delimitations indicated in a map.
On the other hand, the natives come from the geography of a nation; This means that natural borders are geographical accidents, such as mountains, rivers.
Natural border between Mexico and the United States
The natural border that separates Mexico from the United States is the Rio Bravo. It should be noted that this geographical accident only establishes the division between the Mexican territory that borders with the state of Texas.
The rest of the border between Mexico and the United States is composed of a vast expanse of land from New Mexico to California.
The Rio Bravo
The Bravo River, called Bravo del Norte in Mexico and Rio Grande in the United States, is one of the longest rivers in North America (3055 km, approximately) and marks the border between Mexico and the United States since 1848, from El Paso, Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico.
This river is born in Colorado, United States, and thence runs south through New Mexico.
The war between the United States and Mexico (1846) and its influence on the border between these two countries
During the nineteenth century, there was a dispute over which river marked the border between these two nations.
The Mexican people claimed that the Nueces River pointed to the border with the United States, which greatly diminished Texas territory.
This border dispute was one of the causes that initiated the war between these countries in 1846.
Once the US military moved into the territory between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande, Mexico declared war.
As a result, the Rio Grande became the geographical accident that marks the border between Mexico and the United States.
Border between Mexico and Guatemala
Between Mexico and Guatemala, there are three artificial borders and one natural. The natural border is formed by two rivers: the Suchiate and the Usumacinta.
The natural border between these two countries is 871 km.
Suchiate River
The river Suchiate is in the municipality Suchiate, Chiapas state. To the east of the municipality, is the cause of the river, which runs from north to south.
This river constitutes the western border of Mexico.
Usumacinta River
The Usumacinta river is born in the territory of Guatemala, in the mountain range of Chamá, Quiché department. This river delimits the border to the southeast of Mexico.
Border between Mexico and Belize
The natural border between Mexico and Belize is marked by the Hondo River. This border has a length of 251 km, of which, 209 km correspond to the river.
References
1. Borders of Mexico. Retrieved on May 30, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org.
2. Mexico - United States border. Retrieved on May 30, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org.
3. Quick Geography Facts About Mexico. Retrieved on May 30, 2017, from thoughtco.com.
4. U. S. Mexico Border. Retrieved on May 30, 2017, from nationalgeographic.org.
5. Guatemala - Mexico Border. Retrieved on May 30, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org.
6. Belize - Mexico Border. Retrieved on May 30, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org.
7. Border Crossing Mexico / Belize / Guatemala / Central America. Retrieved on May 30, 2017, from lonelyplanet.com.