Mexico is one of the world's five richest countries in terms of biological diversity. It has a greater variety of plants and animals than any country except Brazil, Colombia and Thailand.

Some of its well-known treasures include the jaguar, quetzal bird, and Kemp's Ridley sea turtle.

Tourists usually come to Mexico for its wealth of sunny days, colonial gems and monumental pyramids, but the country offers something even richer -- its wealth of wildlife.

Mexico is one of the world's five richest countries in terms of biological diversity. It has a greater variety of plants and animals than any country except Brazil, Colombia and Thailand. Some of its well-known treasures include the jaguar, quetzal bird, and Kemp's Ridley sea turtle.

Why is Mexico so blessed? Because its land is a unique mosaic of ecosystems, ranging from desert in the north, to pine forests in the middle, and tropical jungle in the south. Add to that 6,000 miles of coastline along the Caribbean, Pacific and Baja California coasts, and you could have the most varied natural landscape on earth.

Mexico's natural gifts to the world include foods, beans, cacao, corn, chili peppers, sweet potatoes, several types of squash, and vanilla, medicines such as cortisone and the active ingredient in the birth control pill, and textiles such as cotton. Since scientists have studied less than 10 percent of Mexico's plants, who knows what waits to be discovered!