Its varied terrain ranges from cactus-studded deserts to white sandy beaches and blue waters, tropical rainforest and jungle-clad hills to steep rocky canyons and narrow gorges, and from snow-capped volcano peaks to bustling cities.

Since the height of Mayan and Aztec civilisations, Mexico has suffered the destructive force of the Conquistadors, European colonial rule, civil and territorial wars, rebellions, dictatorships, recessions and earthquakes. Yet its people remain warm and friendly, much of the countryside remains unspoilt by development, and its cities display a unique style of architecture. The extraordinary history is reflected in the ancient Mayan temples strewn across the jungles and ruins of Aztec civilisations, rural indigenous villages, Spanish colonial cities and silver mining towns, and traditional Mexican ports.

Buildings display a unique combination of colonial and pagan architecture, blending together Art Nouveau, Baroque, Art Deco and Native American design into the structure of their churches and public structures. The country's culture displays a similar blend of the traditional and modern, where pagan meets Christian in a series of festivals, or fiestas throughout the year.

Besides a combination of unique culture and fascinating cities, Mexico also boasts several hundred miles of coastline extending down through both the Pacific and the Caribbean, which has branded the country as a popular summer retreat destination. Beach resort cities such as Acapulco, Cancun and those of the Baja California peninsula are accepted vacation havens. The countryside is also rich in archaeological treasures with pyramids, ruins of ancient cities and great stone carvings of ancient gods standing as testament to a country once ruled by the Aztecs and Mayans.

Basics

Time: Mexico spans four different time zones: GMT -6, -7 and -8 with daylight saving, and GMT -7 all year round in the state of Sonora.

Electricity: 130 volts, 60Hz. Two-pin flat blade attachment plugs are standard.

Money: Mexican currency is the New Peso (MXN) divided into 100 centavos. Credit cards are widely accepted, particularly Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Travellers cheques are generally accepted, but cannot be cashed on Sundays. ATMs are available in most cities and towns and are the most convenient way to get money, but for safety reasons they should only be used during business hours. Although most businesses will accept foreign currency it is best to use pesos. Foreign currency can be exchanged at one of many casas de cambio (exchange houses), which have longer hours and offer a quicker service than the banks.

Currency Exchange Rates

MXN 1= US$ 0.08 £ 0.05 C$ 0.09 A$ 0.11 R 0.62 EUR 0.06 NZ$ 0.13

Note: This is not updated daily and should be used as a guide only.

Language: Spanish is the official language. Some English is spoken in tourist regions.

Entry Requirements for Americans: United States citizens travelling by land or sea must either be in possession of a passport, WHTI-compliant document, or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, as well as proof of citizenship, such as an original or certified birth certificate. To enter or re-enter the USA by air a passport or other valid travel document is required. A visa is not required for stays of up to 180 days, if holding a Tourist Card/FMT form issued free of charge by airlines, embassies and at border crossings. Business travellers do not require a visa for up to 30 days if holding a FMTTV form.

Health: Those entering Mexico from an infected area require a yellow fever certificate. There are no vaccination requirements for visitors to Mexico, however visitors should take medical advice if travelling outside the major tourist areas. A malaria risk exists in some rural areas, but not on the Pacific and Gulf coasts, and dengue fever is on the increase. Sensible precautions regarding food and water should be followed and visitors are advised to be cautious of street food and stick to bottled water. Medical facilities are basic, so medical insurance is recommended.

Tipping: Tipping is customary in Mexico by almost all services as employees are not paid sufficient hourly wages and rely on tips. Waiters and bar staff should be tipped 10 to 15% if a service charge hasn't already been added to the bill. The American custom of tipping 15 to 20% is practiced at international resorts, including those in Los Cabos.

Safety: There is a risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks in public places. Crime is high in Mexico, especially in Mexico City, where robberies and muggings are prevalent. Travellers should avoid displays of wealth and be particularly vigilant on public transport, at stations and tourist sites. Only use authorised taxi services, from the taxi rank. All bus travel should be in daylight hours and if possible it is advisable to travel first class. Women travelling on their own should be alert, especially in tourist areas, as a number of serious sexual assaults have occurred in Cancun recently. Visitors drawing money from cash machines or exchanging money at bureaux de change should do so in daylight hours and be especially vigilant on leaving. There have been reports of tourists being approached by 'questionnaire agents', who use visitors' personal details to mislead relatives about their well-being, so be cautious. Visitors are advised to be wary of people presenting themselves as police officers attempting to fine or arrest them for no apparent reason, leading to theft or assault; if in doubt ask for identification, and, if possible make a note of the officer's name, badge number and patrol number. The practice is most common in Cancun where increasing numbers of motorists in rental cars have been stopped and threatened with imprisonment if an immediate fine is not paid. Hurricanes may affect the coastal areas between June and November.

Customs: Mexicans are not impatient and do not appreciate this emotion in others, so travellers should behave accordingly and expect opening hours and public transport times to be flexible and laid back. Mexicans are friendly and hospitable people and courteous behaviour and polite speech in return, is greatly appreciated. Travellers should also note that it is common for Mexicans to communicate closer than one arm's length from each other and that it is not an attempt to be forward.

Business: Business in Mexico tends to be conducted formally, particularly in initial meetings. Face-to-face contact is important in order to build a good working relationship. Dress tends to be formal with suits and ties the norm, though it can be more relaxed in hotter areas. It is always important to be punctual, although your counterpart may be late, as it is normal for Mexicans to run behind schedule. Greetings are polite and formal, using surnames and titles unless otherwise indicated. A handshake is standard, though follow your host's lead. Business cards are usually exchanged and it can be helpful to have them printed in English on one side and Spanish on the other. English is usually used in a business context, but an attempt at speaking Spanish will be highly appreciated, and an interpreter may be necessary. Women should be aware that business is Mexico is very male dominated. Business hours can vary, though usually from 9am to 5pm, often closing at lunchtime for an hour.

Communications: The international access code for Mexico is +52. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 001 for North America). City/area codes are in use, e.g. (0)55 for Mexico City, (0)744 for Acapulco and (0)998 for Cancun. Some US long-distance phone companies have access numbers which can be dialled in order to use your phone card - calls are usually cheaper than direct-dialled calls from a hotel room. If calling internationally from a phone booth only use the official TelMex phone booths, as all others charge very high fees. GSM 1900 mobile networks cover most of the country. Internet access is widely available in most of the country, especially in tourist-orientated areas.

Duty Free: Travellers to Mexico over 18 years do not have to pay duty on 400 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g pipe tobacco; 3 litres wine or other alcoholic beverages; perfume, eau-de-cologne or lotions for personal use; a video camera and one standard camera. Non-residents are allowed to bring in 12 rolls of film or video cassettes, and goods to the value of US$300 without incurring duty fees. Prohibited goods include fresh food products and the import of canned food. The export of archaeological artefacts is strictly forbidden.

Activities

Diving

The island of Cozumel offers the best diving in Mexico and is ranked as one of the top five diving spots in the world. There are exciting reef drop-offs, coral gardens, caves and plenty of marine life, and the snorkelling is also renowned. The region around Playa del Carmen also offers excellent reef diving and snorkelling and some of the best cave diving in the limestone caverns along the coast. The Great Maya Reef is a chain of shallow patches that stretches all along the Yucatan coastline and is home to hundreds of species of fish and sea turtles. The Sea of Cortez, or Gulf of California, to the east of the Baja California Peninsula does not offer the visibility or warm waters to match destinations in the Caribbean, but its nutrient rich waters support a huge variety of marine life and divers are likely to come into contact with some of the bigger residents of the underwater world such as schools of hammerhead sharks, giant manta rays, whale sharks, marlin and whales. El Bajo is considered the best site in the gulf, while the beautiful Ballandra Bay is great for snorkelling.

Whale watching

The west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula is regarded as having some of the best whale-watching venues in the world. Every year between December and March thousands of California Gray whales migrate to the protected waters and warm lagoons to mate and calve. Three lagoons on the Pacific Coast that offer the best location for watching Gray Whales are Magdalena Bay, San Ignacio Lagoon and Scammon's Lagoon, which sees the largest number of these mammals each year. The lagoons are protected marine parks where whale watching is controlled and allowed only in boats operated by trained guides. Humpback and Blue whales breed in the Sea of Cortez, and Bahia de Los Angeles is the centre for whale-watching expeditions in the area. Although whales can be sighted from shore, particularly from the Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of the peninsula, boat cruises are the most popular way to see them and take passengers to where they can be observed up close.

Los Cabos

At the southern-most tip of the Baja California peninsula, where the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez collide with the wild Pacific, is an area of striking beauty and one of Mexico's top resort destinations. Surrounded by a vast cactus desert and ochre-coloured mountains, the azure waters offer diving, sailing and swimming and the area is a world-renowned Mecca for sport fishing and surfing. Los Cabos is an area made up of the two resort towns of San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, sitting at either end of an 18-mile (29km) stretch of exquisite beaches sprinkled with exclusive luxury resorts and championship golf courses, known locally as the Resort Corridor. San José del Cabo is the older and more traditional of the two resorts with the unhurried pace of a colonial Mexican village. Cabo San Lucas started as a simple fishing village and is now one of the favourite beach resorts of the elite, international tourist offering high quality services and an energetic nightlife. The majority of visitors base themselves in San Lucas or the Resort Corridor. Just offshore is the area's landmark and an impressive natural wonder, Los Arcos (The Arches), a wave-sculpted rock formation.

Acapulco

Situated on one of the loveliest bays on the coast, backed by the evergreen vegetation of the Sierra foothills, Acapulco offers anything and everything to the holidaymaker, but this is not the place to seek a peaceful escape from it all. It is the Queen of Mexican beach resorts, the loudest and most famous in the country with non-stop energy, high-rise hotels, a glittering nightlife, white beaches and an enormous range of activities. The main attraction is the string of beaches that sweep around the bay, each offering a different atmosphere and ample opportunities for water sports, with calm waters, sun bathing, and seafront dining of international quality. The downside of the city is the shabby, polluted and overcrowded old town area, but it is easy enough to ignore this side of Acapulco with plenty to keep visitors happy along the glitzy resort strip among shopping plazas, restaurants and beaches. A famous Acapulco institution since the 1930s are the Quebrada cliff divers, who pitch themselves gracefully from a height of 148ft (45m) into the seemingly shallow water of a narrow chasm in the ocean below after praying at the small rock shrine for safety.

Cancun

Once a small, unremarkable fishing village, the resort of Cancun is today the reason most people visit Mexico. It is made up of two parts: the glitzy hotel zone dedicated to tourism, and the downtown area inhabited by the permanent residents. A different atmosphere prevails in each, with a dramatic contrast between the air-conditioned shopping malls, chic restaurant dining, and wealthy pleasure-seeking tourists in one; and bustling market street stalls, noisy vendors, and the daily grind of people at work in the other. The hotel zone, situated on a thin strip of land (Isla Cancun) in the shape of a figure '7', is what people imagine when they talk about Cancun. It is a vision of Caribbean paradise with soft white sand beaches and clear blue-green waters. There is plenty of high quality accommodation available, a wide choice of restaurants and shops, a notoriously energetic nightlife, and an array of activities, including both land and water sports. The city is also a good base from which to explore some of the nearby attractions, particularly the ancient Mayan site of Chichén Itzá on the mainland, which is the best restored and most famous of the archaeological sites on the Yucatán Peninsula.

Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen boasts one of the prettiest beaches on the coast and despite its growing tourism, it has a small-town, laid-back feel to it. The offshore reef offers some spectacular diving, and less than an hour away by boat is the island of Cozumel, with some of the best diving in Mexico. There are numerous dive centres offering reef and cave diving in the limestone caverns along the coast. The small commercial town centre is packed with souvenir shops, trendy bars and cafes, restaurants, designer clothes shops and hotels, and has a vibrant nightlife that caters for the smaller beach settlements nearby. It can get very overcrowded with day-trippers from Cancun, as well as cruise ship passengers. South of town, the expanding Playacar development caters mainly for package tourists, its beach packed with sunbathers and deckchairs, and lined with hotel complexes; there is also an 18-hole golf course.

Cancun International Airport (CUN)

Location: The airport is situated nine miles (17km) southwest of the hotel and resort area in Cancun. Time: GMT -6 (GMT -5 between the first Sunday in April and the second last Saturday in October). Contacts: Tel: +52 (0)9848 7200 or 9886 0028. Transfer between terminals: A shuttle bus runs between the main entrances to the terminals every 10 mins. Transfer to the city: Both taxis and colectivos can be used to get to the town. An official taxi company provides services from the airport and can be paid for at the airport just after the arrivals hall. US$14-20/20-25 mins. Colectivos are small buses that provide a door-to-door service; the driver will usually wait until it is full before leaving, US$6/30 mins. Car rental: Car rental companies include Avis, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty and National. Facilities: Cancun airport has all the appurtenances one would expect at one of the world's mega-airports. Facilities include ATMs, bureau de change, business facilities, restaurants, shops, a beauty salon and tourist information. There are facilities for disabled passengers but those with special needs are advised to contact their airline in advance. Parking: Parking is available. Departure tax: US$18 to US$29. Website: www.cancun-airport.com

Climate

The coast and lowlands are hot and humid all year. The interior highlands are milder and drier, but can become freezing between December and February. Rainfall is scarce throughout most of the country.