Mexico True or False?

Can you guess whether these statements about Mexico are true or false?
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Last updated: October 6, 2024
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First submittedJanuary 22, 2021
Times taken48,273
Average score73.3%
Rating4.89
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1. Mexico is part of South America
True
False
2. Mexico has a lower murder rate than the United States
Mexico's murder rate is about 4 times as high
True
False
3. Chihuahua is a Mexican state
True
False
4. The full Spanish name of Mexico is Estados Unidos Mexicanos
True
False
5. Mexico borders the Gulf of Mexico
True
False
6. Mexico celebrates its independence on May 5th, aka Cinco de Mayo
Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16. Cinco de Mayo is more popular in the United States.
True
False
7. Narcocorrido is a genre of music that tells stories about illegal drug trafficking
True
False
8. Mexico borders Panama
True
False
9. Mexico has active volcanos
Most famously Popocatépetl
True
False
10. France invaded Mexico in the 19th century and installed an emperor
Emperor Maximilian I ruled Mexico from 1864 until he was executed in 1867
True
False
11. Maize, also known as corn, was originally domesticated in Mexico
True
False
12. Cancun is located on the Baja California peninsula
It is located on the Yucatan peninsula
True
False
13. The flag of Mexico has an eagle on it
True
False
14. Mexico is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere
Not even close. Mexico has a per-capita income which is about 10 times that of Haiti.
True
False
15. Aztecs originally developed the ghost pepper as a way to poison rats
While it is true that chili peppers originally come from Mexico, the ghost pepper was cultivated in modern times in India
True
False
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39 Comments
+4
Level 86
Jan 23, 2021
Regarding the first question, while in the Americas it's generally accepted that Mexico is North (sometimes Central) America, almost each European country I have been to says it's actually South America.

I don't think the answer should be changed, I just find it curious.

+31
Level 81
Jan 24, 2021
Are you thinking of Latin America, rather than South America? Those terms have different meanings, but something might have been lost in translation perhaps.
+11
Level 63
Jan 25, 2021
I don't know who you've talked to but I'm European and I consider it to be in North America. Or Latin America, as blizzrd suggested, but that's not the question.
+3
Level 86
Jan 25, 2021
Geographical speaking, Mexico straddles between North and Central America, since the natural borders of Central America are the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (with North) and of Panama (with South).

Mexicans will tell you we're a North American country, because culturally, economically and population-wise, the majority are west of Tehuantepec (thus in North America), including the country's capital, the main native culture, the other two main cities (plus the other considered "global").

However, since the US stance is that everything south of the Grande isn't North America, and the US culture has spreaded throughout the world, the rest of the world sees Mexico as Central/South America.

Sincerely though, I believe the best school of thought with North/South America is the Jet Punk style, otherwise known as the CONCACAF/CONMEBOL divide (with the clear exceptions of the Guyanas).

+11
Level 68
Apr 27, 2021
I've never heard anyone in the US say Mexico is part of South America. I certainly learned in school that it's part of North America, as did everyone else I know.
+3
Level 86
Apr 27, 2021
For some reason, several sources from the US have Mexico as Central America.
+8
Level 72
Apr 27, 2021
It's a matter of how you divide the continents.

In the US, people tend to consider the Americas as two continents, in which case, Central America, including Mexico, is clearly a sub-region of North America.

In much of the rest of the world, America is considered as one continent, which allows for a looser definition of the sub-regions. In this context, Mexico is often grouped by cultural proximity with other nations into Central America, which is considered distinct from North America (ie. USA and Canada) and South America.

Both positions have their merit.

However, I've never heard a good argument for Mexico being in South America...

+14
Level 80
Apr 27, 2021
Are you sure you haven't just talked to people who are bad at geography?
+6
Level 80
Apr 27, 2021
I've never heard of the North American-South American divide being the US-Mexico border. I've heard it as the Colombia-Panama border, the Panama Canal, and the Darien Gap, but never at the US's southern border.
+2
Level 76
May 20, 2024
what? each european country you have been to? let me guess, you haven't ever been to europe? haha. I really can't believe this, there might be one weird country (still don't think so, rather you have talked to 1 confused person) but definitely not "generally accepted in all of europe"

I have never heard of Mexico being seen as south-america anywhere. Though I am sure there is atleast one person that (could) think that, since people think the weirdest things, I am sure there is atleast one person that thinks australia is in Europe too. But generally accepted?? no

Maybe you are mixing things up and are confused with central america, however you mentioned this yourself already so this kind of rules that out.

+1
Level 76
May 20, 2024
I do remember we were specifically taught some countries were Middle-America, can't remember if it was treated as a continent though, but it was emphasized enough to make it feel weird to call Mexico North-America though. But we would never call South-America, it is above Panama, so how could it be?

Maybe the fact that both North as Northern America could be translated with the same word in my language (Noord) did not help. Mexico+Northern-America=North-America. Northern America is basically North-America above Mexico (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_America). And that might be the view of what North-America is for some Europeans.

But Mexico is no more in South-America than Paraguay is in North-America

+1
Level 55
Jan 24, 2021
I made a Spain version
+2
Level 55
Jan 24, 2021
https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/1255120/spain-true-or-false
+5
Level 67
Jan 25, 2021
I've learned that the last question is always a fun -yet false- one
+1
Level 60
Jan 25, 2021
omg early before this gets 1000 takes <33
+5
Level 48
Apr 27, 2021
I read "narcocorrido" and thought it's so obvious it's related to drugs it must be a tricky question and marked false.. forgot people taking quizz don't necessarily speak Spanish or Portuguese.
+7
Level 68
Apr 27, 2021
I mean, I don't speak Spanish or Portuguese, but I assumed that "narco" was probably related to narcotics. Kind of wild that that's a music genre, though.
+1
Level 86
Apr 27, 2021
Considering that outlaw songs (song praising an outlaw life or an specific outlaw guy) are a thing in other places... Narcocorridos are just sung in Spanish, and specifically about Mexican outlaws.

It doesn't take away that it's a bad music genre, though.

+1
Level 55
Jun 1, 2025
A narco is a drugs dealer kingpin, we call them narcos
+2
Level 62
Apr 28, 2021
Nice one; learned something about history there.

I see that "volcanos" is a valid spelling in the dictionary. Looks wrong though, doesn't it.

+4
Level 34
Mar 8, 2022
no one even celebrates cinco de mayo at all in mexico
+1
Level 55
Jun 1, 2025
Thats so true
+1
Level 61
Aug 30, 2022
14/15
+6
Level 40
Dec 25, 2022
I am worried about the 9% that got "Does Mexico border the Gulf of Mexico?" wrong. Like, how do you get that wrong?
+3
Level 63
Sep 16, 2023
Over-thought it. When something seems obvious, people will always think it's a trick.
+1
Level 64
May 23, 2025
Well now in 2025 it's controversial, but you'd still need to be just as ignorant to think Mexico doesn't touch the Gulf of Mexico.
+1
Level 68
Oct 20, 2025
I knew it immediately, but some could have thought it was a cheeky trick question. Is Rhode Island an island? Is Equatorial Guinea on the Equator? Is the Caspian Sea a lake? And so on.
+1
Level 51
Sep 15, 2023
14/15 i missed the question about the full spanish name of mexico
+2
Level 53
Sep 15, 2023
Got the murder rate question wrong because I thought it was a trick question.
+3
Level 61
Sep 16, 2023
Just came across this today. Feliz Dieciséis de Septiembre!
+3
Level 83
Sep 16, 2023
Fun fact: the emperor who was installed was the little brother of Franz Joseph, the long-ruling emperor of Austria Hungary. Because the Mexican people executed this emperor, he was no longer alive to become heir to the throne. That's why Franz Ferdinand became heir to the throne! It's Mexico's fault that World War I happened!
+1
Level 56
Mar 5, 2024
no it would have happened at some point just by someone else.
+1
Level 55
Jun 1, 2025
He didnt do anything wrong but we executed him because of the french
+2
Level 58
Oct 17, 2024
been to Cancun but I thought it said Yucatan when I skimmed it over 🤦
+1
Level 11
Feb 7, 2025
France invaded Mexico, yes... and lost. And for sure they didn0t install any emperor!!!
+1
Level 55
Jun 1, 2025
Yes they did, go back to history class, they invaded mexico no once but twice, the first time was when the Battle of Puebla happened a.k.a Cinco de Mayo, and in the second one they took control and made the Second Mexican empire
+1
Level 21
Feb 18, 2025
yes they did
+1
Level 79
May 11, 2025
14/15, just missed volcanoes
+1
Level 78
Nov 21, 2025
I hate to bring this up, but what is the ruling on the gulf name from a JetPunk standpoint? I don’t mean this question to be political in anyway (I purposely love this site for the general lack of politics). Just interested in how decisions are made on what to call certain geographical features. This is true for many locations across the world that depend on what country you are in of what it is called.