It is frequently hit, the latest quake coming on the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 disaster that killed more than 5,000 people, and less than two weeks after an 8.1 magnitude hit the southern coast.
The Central American country suffers so much because of its position on a large grid of tectonic plates, on which all the Earth’s countries and seas sit.
Mexico is on the edge of two the world’s largest – the North American and Pacific plates – as well as the smaller Cocos plate.
It also falls on the ‘Ring of Fire’, a horseshoe shaped area around the edges of the Pacific Ocean, from Australia to the Andes, along which 90% of all earthquakes occur.
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Rescue teams search for people trapped in the rubble after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Mexico City -
The quake hit central Mexico hours after preparation drills were held on the anniversary of the 1985 earthquake which killed thousands of people -
Rescuers, firefighters, policemen, soldiers and volunteers are working to remove rubble and debris -
A rescue dog searches for people among the rubble of a collapsed building. Continue through for more pictures… -
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Mexico’s location makes it particularly vulnerable to earth tremors.
The Earth’s plates grind against each other all the time. Sometimes they get stuck and pressure builds-an earthquake is the sudden and violent release of this pressure.
On top of this, the Cocos plate is denser than the landmass of Mexico itself, meaning the country’s soft earth crumbles more easily.
This combination makes it one of the most seismically active countries on the planet.
Mexico City, where more than 200 people have been killed in the latest tremor, was also mostly built on a former lakebed, making it even more susceptible.
Japan, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippines, India and El Salvador are also among the countries most vulnerable to earthquakes.
