Mexico City covers an area of 1,480 sq km (571 sq mi). It is the central, urban core of the Federal District, which was created around the capital city by the 1824 constitution. The Federal District occupies an area of 1,547 sq km (597 sq mi).
However, the larger metropolitan area of the capital extends well into the neighboring states of Mexico and Morelos. The metropolitan area largely fills the basin floor of the Valley of Mexico. Its urban development has engulfed a number of old, once-independent towns, such as Coyoacán, creating surprising pockets of colonial architecture in the midst of 20th-century suburban sprawl. Growth has extended to the western edge of the basin and is beginning to creep up the foothills on its western face. To the south the city has reached the town of Tlalpan on the edge of the valley. To the east, poorer areas stretch for miles in a string of ciudades perdidas (Spanish for "lost cities").
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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