The United States of Mexico lie between 14 degrees 30 minutes and 32 degrees 42 minutes north latitude and 86 degrees 46 minutes and 117 degrees 7 minutes west longitude. On the north the boundary is the United States of America; on the east the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean sea, British Honduras and Guatemala; on the south British Honduras and the Pacific ocean, and on the west the Pacific ocean. The superficial area of the country is 765,537 square miles. Its greatest length is 1942 miles and its greatest width is 762 miles. It has a coast line of 5486 miles, of which 1603 miles are on the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea and 3883 miles on the Pacific ocean and the Gulf of California. The surface of Mexico rises sharply from the seacoast levels by a series of terraces to a central plateau, that varies in height from 4000 to 8000 feet and runs northwest and southeast. This tableland has been formed by the material deposited during the gradual erosion of the mountains and by matter thrown up by a great number of volcanoes. In this manner the original valleys became completely filled up and those that now exist are of later formation. To illustrate this filling process, buried mountains whose peaks appear above the surrounding mass are found in the higher parts of the plateau, while elsewhere they are met with as continuous ridges. The eastern coast is low and sandy, except in a few places where the mountains come down close to the shore. The Pacific coast lands are also low, but occasionally broken by mountain spurs. Owing to the terraced character of the country, very little river navigation is possible, but on the other hand an enormous amount of power can be developed from the numerous waterfalls. Two high mountain ranges, one on each coast, run parallel to the sea the entire length of Mexico. The eastern chain is about ten miles inland, while on the west there is only a narrow shelf of land between the sea and the cordilleras. This western range has several branches that run in different directions, the most important being the Sierra Madre Occidental. In Mexico the highest mountains are volcanoes. On the Pacific side and west of the plateau are found the Volcán de Colima (12,750 ft.) and the Nevado de Colima (14,354 ft.). Southwest of the City of Mexico is the Nevado de Toluca (16,610 ft.) and to the south and east are the snow-crowned giants Popocatepetl (17,540 ft.) and Ixtaccihuatl (15,705 ft.). Still farther east are Orizaba (16,176 ft.) and Cofre de Perote (14,309 ft.). Popocatepetl and Orizaba may be classified as dormant cones, for the reason that aqueous and sulphurous vapors are constantly being emitted from their perfectly formed craters. One of the highest lakes in the world is found in the crater of the Nevado de Toluca. Colima has been in eruption continuously for many years and is still active. The snow never leaves the summits of Orizaba, Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl, and on the last the ice cap