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Top 10 co facts about Mexi 3 1 The official name of Mexico is Estados Unidos Mexicanos (United Mexican States) - The country, Mexico, was initially named after its capital city (Mexico City). During the 14 - 16th centuries, when the Aztec people dominated large parts of the country, the capital city was called Mexico-Tenochtitlan. After the Spanish conquered the city in the 16th century, they ruined it and build Mexico City on top of the Aztec capital; the city was built to resemble a Spanish city. 2 Mexico is located in the “Ring of Fire” - This area is one of the world’s most violent earthquake and volcano zones. The Ring of Fire contains more than 450 volcanoes and has approximately 75% of the world’s active volcanoes. Popocatépetl is considered to be the most dangerous volcano in Mexico, located only 70 km southeast of Mexico City, from where it can be seen with the right weather conditions. 68 The Mexican flag is made up of three vertical stripes - Every stripe of the flag has different meaning. The left green stripe stands for hope, the middle white stripe represents purity and unity, and the right red stripe represents the blood of the nation’s heroes. The picture of an eagle eating a snake in the middle of the flag, called the Coat of Arms, is based on an Aztec legend. 4 The first printing press in North America was used in Mexico City in 1539.