During four years, systematic observations have been conducted in drift scan mode with the Bordeaux automated meridian circle in the declination band [+11 ; +18]. The resulting astrometric catalog includes about 2 300 000 stars down to the magnitude limit V_M_=16.3. Nearly all stars (96%) have been observed at least 6 times, the catalog being complete down to V_M_=15.4. The median internal standard error in position is about 35mas in the magnitude range 11<V_M_<15, which degrades to about 50mas when the faintest stars are considered. M2000 provides also one band photometry with a median internal standard error of 0.04mag. Comparisons with the Hipparcos and bright part of Tycho-2 catalogs have enabled to estimate external errors in position to be lower than 40mas. In this zone and at epoch 1998, the faint part of Tycho-2 is found to have an accuracy of 116mas in alpha instead of 82mas deduced from the model-based standard errors given in the catalog.