Mexico has a pretty rugged topography in such a way that its median altitude is on the 1,000-2,000 meter (3,000-6,000 feet) range. This means although Mexico has an overall warmer climate than on the US, much of its territory is temperate and even cool, depending on altitude. This directly affects the climate, weather patterns and allows for a wide ranges of temperature and humidity. In fact, due to the diversity of temperatures Mexico is composed by a wide variety of biomes and land uses:
- Scrub forests and deserts: 29% - same size of Spain and Lithuania, or California and Illinois put together.
- Forests of many kinds, including boreal, temperate and subtropical highland forests: 17% - roughly the size of Finland or New Mexico.
- Tropical rainforest or 'jungle': 17%
- Man-made pastures: 12% - roughly the size of Romania or slightly larger than Minnesota.
- Naturally occurring pastures: 4% - roughly the size of the Czech Republic or slightly smaller than South Carolina.