Definition of Megadiverse Country

The nations that make up the planet can be classified in many ways. According to the Index of Human development o HDI are divided into developed, underdeveloped and developing. It is also possible to differentiate nations according to other criteria, such as their geographic area or their population.

In recent years a new concept has been introduced related to the great diversity species of animals and plants and with the cultural diversity and ethnic in a territory.

To refer to this idea, the term mega-diversity is used, a concept that has been coined by Conservation International, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the environment. Countries such as Madagascar, South Africa, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, and the United States are significant examples of megadiverse countries.

The case of Mexico

The number of plant and animal species is very striking, since it is estimated that there are more than 200 thousand different species. Likewise, aquatic ecosystems are also very diverse, since there are coral waters, sea grasses, reefs, estuaries and salty waters. From a landscape point of view the diversity is also notorious, since there are jungles, forests, canyons and desert areas.

The ethnic groups integrated in Mexico include the Nahuas, the Yaquis, the Mazatecos, the Tzeltales or the Purépechas, among many others. From a linguistic point of view, Spanish is the language majority, but more than 60 different indigenous languages ​​are also spoken, such as Náhualt, Totonac, Chol, Zapotec or Mixtec.

Facts about megadiversity in the United States

The United States is the fourth largest country in the world. In its vast territories, mega diversity is very noticeable. Regarding the scenery forests, deserts and glaciers abound. The country has a climatic diversity that includes the weather continental, tropical, arid and polar. It is one of the countries with more species of mammals and with a greater variety of insects and reptiles.

From an ethnic point of view, the American population is especially diverse

In fact, there are five racial categories: White, Black, Native American, Asian, and Hawaiian. If we take the white population as a reference, the geographical origin of this group comes from countries such as Italy, Ireland, Poland, Greece or Germany.

Although English is the official language throughout the country and Spanish is a language with more than 40 million speakers, there are many minority languages ​​as a consequence of the different migratory waves, such as Vietnamese, Korean, Cantonese, Greek or Armenian.

In New York City alone it is estimated that more than 700 different languages ​​are spoken.

Photos: Fotolia - romet6 / evenfh