Mexico City is the densely populated, high altitude capital of  Mexico. It’s known for its Templo Mayor (a 13th Century Aztec temple), the baroque Catedral Metropolitana of the Spanish conquistadors and the Palacio Nacional, which houses historic murals by Diego Rivera. All of this resides in and around the Plaza de la Constitución, the massive main square also known as the Zocalo.

Population: 8.851 Million

Currency

The Peso is the currency of Mexico and it is divided into 100 centavos. Banknotes can be found in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 centavos as well as 1, 2, 10 and 20 Pesos.

Weather

Mexico City has a subtropical highland climate, due to its tropical location and high elevation . The lower region of the valley receives less rainfall than the upper regions of the south. The average annual temperature varies from 12 to 16°C ( 54 to 61°F ), depending on the altitude of the borough. The temperature is rarely below 3°C ( 37°F ) or above 30°C ( 86°F ). The lowest temperature ever registered was -4.4 °C ( 24.1°F ), and the highest temperature on record is 33.9°C ( 93.0°F ).

Language

The official language spoken in Mexico City Spanish, many of the words used there are actually derived from ancient indigenous languages.

Health

Mexico City is home to some of the best private hospitals in the country; Hospital Angeles, Hospital ABC and Medica Sur to name a few. The national public healthcare institution for private-sector employees, IMMS,  has its largest facilities in Mexico City – including  the National Medical Center – and has an annual budget of over 6 billion Pesos. The IMMS and other public health institutions, including the National Health Ministry (SSA) maintain large specialty facilities in the city, These include National Institutes  of Cardiology, Nutrition, Psychiatry, Oncology, Pediatrics, Rehabilitation among others.

Crime 

Crime is among the most urgent concerns facing Mexico, as Mexican drug trafficking rings play a major role in the flow of cocaine, heroin and marijuana transiting between Latin America and the United States. Drug trafficking has led to corruption, which has had a deleterious effect on Mexico’s Federal Representative Republic. Drug trafficking and organized crime have also been a major source of violent crime in Mexico.

Transport

Metro: Mexico City is served by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo, a 225.9 km (140 mi) metro system, which is the largest in Latin America. The first portions were opened in 1969 and it has expanded to 12 lines with 195 stations. The metro is one of the busiest in the world transporting approximately 4.5 million people everyday, surpassed only by subway lines in Moscow (7.5 million), Tokyo (5.9 million) and New York City (5.1 million. It is heavily subsidized and has some of the lowest fares in the world, each trip costing 5.00 Pesos from 05:00 am to midnight.

Suburban rail: A suburban rail system, the Tren Suburbano serves the metropolitan area, beyond the city limits of the metro.

Peseros: Peseros are typically half-length passenger and buses (known as microbus) that sit 22 passengers and stand up to 28, as of 2007, approximately 28 000 peseros carried up to 60percent of the city’s passengers.