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Mexico lies between the USA and South America, in a region known as Central America. It’s a long strip of land with coast on both sides; the Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea in the east.

Much of Mexico is covered by mountains, with the highest peaks being over 5,000 metres in altitude. The north of the country is dominated by deserts that receive so little rain that only a few specially adapted plants and animals can survive. In the centre lies its sprawling capital Mexico City. The south of Mexico is close to the equator, so it has a tropical climate and is covered by vast rainforests with a huge diversity of plants and animals.

Students could be given a blank map of the Americas and locate the following: the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Mexico City. Students could also draw the land borders with America and South America.

Students could go on to colour in the different regions of Mexico including areas with mountains, desert and rainforest. Ask students to think of what kind of plants would grow in the area, and what types of animals would live there. Does Scotland have the same diversity in its landscape, plant and animal life as Mexico? If not, why do students think this might be?

Students could work together to create a model landscape of Mexico for display. Working in groups, each group could model a different region out of clay or plaster. They could also make clay representations of the plants and animals which could be found there as well. At the end, students could bring the regions together and paint the landscape.