Greater Mexico City refers to the
conurbation around
Mexico City, officially called
Mexico City Metropolitan Area (
Área Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México), constituted by the Federal District—itself composed of 16
boroughs—and 41 adjacent
municipalities of the states of
Mexico and
Hidalgo. For normative purposes, however, Greater Mexico City most commonly refers to the
Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico (
Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México) an
agglomeration that incorporates 18 additional municipalities. As of 2010 Census, Greater Mexico City had a population just over 20 million, making it the
largest metropolitan area in North America followed by the New York metropolitan area. But as of a 2014 census, it's estimated the population of Greater Mexico City at 22.5 million people. It is surrounded by thin strips of highlands which separate it from other adjacent metropolitan areas, the biggest are
Puebla Toluca, and
Cuernavaca-
Cuautla, which together form the
Mexico City megalopolis with over 27 million people.