<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> ^ b . Area of Mexico City that includes non-urban areas at the south </Td> </Tr> <P> Mexico City, or the City of Mexico (Spanish: Ciudad de México, American Spanish: (sjuˈða (ð) ðe ˈmexiko) (listen); abbreviated as CDMX), is the capital of Mexico and the most populous city in North America . Mexico City is one of the most important cultural and financial centers in the Americas . It is located in the Valley of Mexico (Valle de México), a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 metres (7,350 ft). The city consists of sixteen boroughs . </P> <P> The 2009 estimated population for the city proper was approximately 8.84 million people, with a land area of 1,485 square kilometres (573 sq mi). According to the most recent definition agreed upon by the federal and state governments, the Greater Mexico City population is 21.3 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area of the Western Hemisphere, the tenth - largest agglomeration, and the largest Spanish - speaking city in the world . </P> <P> Greater Mexico City has a GDP of $411 billion in 2011, making Mexico City urban agglomeration one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world . The city was responsible for generating 15.8% of Mexico's GDP and the metropolitan area accounted for about 22% of total national GDP . As a stand - alone country, in 2013, Mexico City would be the fifth - largest economy in Latin America--five times as large as Costa Rica and about the same size as Peru . </P>

Where does mexico city rank among the world's largest cities