During four years, systematic observations have been conducted in drift scan mode with the Bordeaux automated meridian circle in the declination band $+11\degr \leq \delta \leq +18\degr$. The resulting astrometric catalog includes about $2.3\times 10^6$ stars down to the magnitude limit $V_{\rm M}=16.3$. Nearly all stars (96% ) have been observed at least 6 times, the catalog being complete down to $V_{\rm M}=15.4$. The median internal standard error in position is ${\sim} 35$ mas in the magnitude range $11 < V_{\rm M} < 15$, which degrades to ${\sim} 50$ mas when the faintest stars are considered. M2000 also provides one band photometry with a median internal standard error of ${\sim} 0.04$ mag. Comparisons with the Hipparcos and bright part of Tycho-2 catalogs have enabled us to estimate external errors in position to be lower than 40 mas. In this zone and at epoch 1998, the faint part of Tycho-2 is found to have an accuracy of 116 mas in α instead of 82 mas deduced from the model-based standard errors given in the catalog.