Mexican Federal District

The Mexican Federal District, known in Spanish as Distrito Federal (D.F.), is an area within Mexico that is not part of any of the Mexican states, but an independent self-governing city-state and the seat of the Federal Government. The core of the vast Mexico City Metropolitan Area is within the Federal District's limits.

Related Topics:
Mexico - Mexican states - Mexico City

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The border with the State of México surrounds the D.F. on the north, east and west, while the State of Morelos shares the border through the more rural and mountainous south. The pear-shaped Federal District covers a surface area of 1,479 km², with a population of some 8,591,000 according to the year 2000 census.

Related Topics:
State of México - State of Morelos

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For local government purposes, executive power is held by the Head of Government of the Federal District, while legislative power is in the hands of the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District (Asamblea Legislativa del Distrito Federal). The D.F. is divided into 16 delegaciones (boroughs). Each delegación is further divided into a variable number of colonias (neighborhoods).

Related Topics:
Head of Government of the Federal District - Delegaciones

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Should the Federal Government decide to relocate to another part of the country, Article 44 of the Mexican Constitution mandates that the Federal District would acquire full statehood and be called Estado del Valle de México (State of the Valley of Mexico).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~