Mexico

US labour farm with oil-fuelled dreams of economic independence. Fun, expansive and not nearly as dangerous as suspected by its northern neighbours. The authorities take a dim view of people smugglers to keep these same northern neighbours happy. The drug smugglers take a dim view of the authorities to keep these same northern neighbours in coke. American tourists are corralled into Safe Zones - generally on the Caribbean coast - for the protection and overall happiness of the locals. Mexico City remains one of the few places on Earth where the original Volkswagen Beetle is common. It's also the kidnap-for-ransom capital of the world. The two are not thought to be linked.