Mexico
City (Spanish: Ciudad de México)
is the name of a megacity located in the
Valley of Mexico (Valle de México),
a large valley in the high plateaus (altiplano)
at the center of Mexico, about 2,240 metres
(7,349 feet) above sea-level, surrounded
on most sides by volcanoes towering at
4,000 to 5,500 metres (13,000 to 18,000
feet) above sea-level. Mexico City was
originally a municipality founded in 1521
by Cortés on the ruins of Tenochtitlan,
the capital of the Aztec Empire, in the
middle of the now drained Lake Texcoco.
The municipality was abolished in 1928,
and the name "Mexico City" can
now refer to two things. Mexico City is
located in the Mexican Federal District
("Distrito Federal", or D.F.).
The D.F. encompasses the historical center
of Mexico City, but is much larger than
the historical municipality of Mexico
City abolished in 1928.
The
urbanized area of Mexico City covers only
the north of the D.F., while the south
of the D.F. is made up of rural areas
and mountains. Although the D.F. is not
a municipality, the name Ciudad de México
is used by Mexican authorities as a synonym
for Distrito Federal (such as in Article
44 of the Mexican Constitution). In a
broader meaning, "Mexico City"
refers to the whole metropolitan area
of Greater Mexico City. The metropolitan
area extends beyond the limits of the
D.F. and encompasses tens of independent
municipalities located in the State of
México (Estado de México),
to the north, east, and west of the D.F.,
extending as far north as the State of
Hidalgo.
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