Mexicali and Calexico : Twin cities ?

Mexicali and Calexico : Twin cities ?

Introduction

Calexico and Mexicali are known as the twin cities. According to their inhabitants they create a new society, with her own culture . People commute back and forth between both cities for entertainment, work or family reasons. Let's discover these cities, their stakes and the life of people who live here.

Crossing the border

• Crossing the border to go to school

• Crossing the border to go to work

• Crossing the border legally and illegally

US-Mexican border :

• 3 150 kilomètres
• most crossed border in the world
• close monitoring
• San Diego to Tijuana in the west
• From Pacific Ocean to Atlantic Ocean

Economy

• Agriculture

• Maquiladoras

• Exportation / Importation

Border economy :

• 2,5 % of the Mexican economy
• 1,820 hectares of farmland
• 4,500 maquiladoras along the border
• 83,1 % of exports to the US
• 15% of imports

Impact

• On people

• On the environment

Crossing the border to go to school

• Around 1000 per day
• Crossing early every day

• Difficult, dangerous and long
• Need a student visa

Agriculture

• 5 million Mexican workers
• job seekers work in the fiels

• cheaper labor force
• boost the economy
• 1,820 hectares of farmland

Maquiladoras

• U.S. factories in Mexico
• cheaper production and labor costs

• 4,500 maquiladoras
• poorly paid and poor working conditions
• more than 1 million workers
• $10 billion per year

Crossing the border to go to work

• Around 2,4 million each year
• Crossing the most early possible

to find a job

• Difficult, dangerous
• Need a working visa and a passport

Mexicali

The twin city of Calexico

• 855 962 inhabitants
• March 14 of 1903
• Capital city of Baja California
• 113,7 km²

Calexico

The twin city of Mexicali

• 38 744 inhabitants
• 16 avril 1908
• municipality in Imperial County, California
• 20,38 km²

Imports / Exports

• vegetables, fruits, beverages
• $91.33 billion

Imports :

(to the US)

• refined petroleum products, motor vehicles, and integrated circuits
• $276.5 billion

Eports :

(from the US)

Twin cities

Calexico & Mexicali

• unique society with its own culture
• a "third nation" between Mexico and the USA
• transborder agglomeration
• People commute back and forth between both cities
• Cross for entertainment, work or family reasons

Crossing the border legally and illegally

• Thousands of immigrants died by crossing the desert

• More than 2 million people each year
• 48 post-border
• Poverty and cartel violence are the two factors driving immigration

Impact on people

• directly impacted by changing areas
• maquiladoras don't let space for people's homes
• destroy and change landscapes
• people don't feel American or Mexican
• disagree with the wall project

Pollution

• air pollution, lack of drinking water,

and deforestation

• waste disposal
• Nearly 20,000 deaths