File:Urban spread within the Federal District.png

Summary
This map shows the approximate extent of Mexico City within the Mexican Federal District. The map is based on the First Edition of the "Distrito Federal" map by INEGI released in 2000. However the map uses aereal photography data collected between December 1993 and February 1994, so the extent of the urban spread is bound to have changed as of 2006.

It can be seen from the map that most of the urban development is located on the northern part of the Federal District. Lands to the south are mostly occupied by extinct volcanoes of the trans-Mexican volcanic belt. A good chunck of this land is protected so urban development is unlikely to reach here. However irregular settlements of a few hundred families are not unusual and reported with certain regularity in the news.

Finally, the grey area is what can be considered "Mexico City" proper. Its metropolitan area ("Greater Mexico City") extends much more to the north of the Federal District into the states of Mexico and Hidalgo.