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They are both very colourful, diverse places with a population that is like...progressive-traditional? Emerging middle class, tensions near the border, great food, beaches, incredibly fascinating history, a mega-touristy zone, a mega-untouched zone, buffer regions (N.America -> Latin/South America vs. Europe -> Middle East).
I don't think so. They might have similar gdp and situation between "first world" and "developping countries". that is about the only thing I can think common.
Religion: Turkey is muslim, Mexico is catholic
Language: Turkey speak a language originating from central Asia, Mexico from latin.
geographical localisation: Turkey lies in line with northern USA, Mexico is about on the tropic line.
climate: Turkey has mostly continental (very cold winters in most of inland Turkey) and milder mediterranean climate on its southern coasts; while Mexico has tropical, semi-arid and arid climates.
and so on... Not similar countries at all to my opinion.
Ummmm, no. About half of Mexico doesn't fit in to the tropic of cancer, and also features considerable areas with continental weather. Turkey probably has all the same general climates you could find in Mexico, barring tropical. Likewise, Mexico wouldn't experience any of the extreme cold in central east Anatolia. But Turkey also has very arid climates NOT unlike northern Mexico in it's territory approaching Syria and Iraq.
I agree with you Jesse except that Mexico doesn't get extremely cold. There are some parts in Chihuahua and other places in high elevation or near the mountains where it does snow and it's really cold too.
Both are mostly mountainous, and the highest peaks in both countries are about 5000m high. Both get about the same number of tourists (30 million or so) many of whom flock to the beach resorts like Cancun, Acapulco, Cabo san Lucas, Antalya, Fetiye etc. Both have both ancient (Aztec and Greek/Anatolian) and colonial architecture.
But really, they're as different as you can get in other ways. I'd say just forget comparisons and enjoy Mexico for what it is.
Istanbul versus Mexico City would be an interesting matchup of two rising megacities in nations that are just hitting the edge of being developed countries and being probably the most progressive parts of their respective nations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by joseanto071
But the vast majority of mexico is generally some hot desert or a hot tropical place.
Lots of Mexico is hot desert or hot tropical, but definitely not a vast majority because of the high altitude encountered in much of the country as well as the fairly cold currents of the Pacific on the northwestern coast.
Istanbul versus Mexico City would be an interesting matchup of two rising megacities in nations that are just hitting the edge of being developed countries and being probably the most progressive parts of their respective nations.
Lots of Mexico is hot desert or hot tropical, but definitely not a vast majority because of the high altitude encountered in much of the country as well as the fairly cold currents of the Pacific on the northwestern coast.
That's true, only I don't think Mexico City is growing in population anymore. It used to be the largest or the 2nd largest city in the world after Tokyo, but now cities like Seoul, Jakarta and Manila beat us. That was like in the 60's 70's 80's and even the early 90's when so many people where having so many kids and people from the ranchos or the small towns and rural areas migrated here. I heard most of the people are moving out into other less densely populated places. However, the city is growing in area, there are starting to be more buildings, the city is starting to be nicer, more modern, cleaner and safer. Santa Fe didn't even exist not even 20 years ago. Interlomas look nice too.
Mexico entices me much more than Turkey. I heard that Turkey is "all about Istanbul", in a similar way to that French tourism centers around Paris. But Mexico has so many places to visit! Tijuana has the legendary nightlife, Oaxaca has the indigenous culture, Puebla and Guanajato have jaw-dropping architecture, and Mexico City is one of the biggest cities on the face of the Earth
Go to Guanajuato if you have a chance. Unbelievably scenic town with a nice university town/artsy vibe and great food. It's amazing that Americans will spend thousands to go on a trip to Europe yet ignore a place like Guanajuato that's as beautiful as many villages in Spain or Italy, yet much closer to the US.
Oaxaca is a great area as well, both the main city and the surrounding countryside. But Mexico is full of nice medium-sized colonial cities/towns--everywhere from Zacatecas and Morelia in the North-Central regions to Campeche and Merida in the Yucatan.
Mexico City is really interesting as well--fascinating mix of history, wealth, and urban decay often just blocks from each other.
If you're going to Baja, Loreto is a really nice laid-back village with more charm than Cabo--though much quieter...
As far as the original question, I've never been to Turkey, nor am I much of an expert on it, so it's hard for me to make a comparison. Though I think both countries have few similarities, being that Turkey is the frontier between the Islamic Middle East and Europe, while the US-Mexico border is the frontier between Latin America and the mostly Anglo North America. Both countries have been seeing and are poised for more ecomnomic growth--and will see possibly larger regional roles in the future. Mexico is really the big dog to Central America and Turkey has much more military strength and is better organized than the more recently chaotic Arab nations to the south. The real question will be whether Turkey will be more aligned with the EU and NATO in the future or will become more aligned with other Muslim nations. While for Mexico it's been a friend to the US in some ways recently, though it's always viewed it's neighbor to the north fairly suspiciously. It's an interesing comparison because I was reading a book in which the author tried to predict the future of foreign powers through 2100 and his theorized that Mexico and Turkey would actually become more of regional rivals for the US and Europe at some point.
I know what book you're talking about. I forgot its name but the author is George Friedman.
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