Northwest Mexico
Encyclopedia
Northwest Mexico is a region of the United Mexican States, formed by the states of Durango
, Sinaloa
, Chihuahua, Sonora
, Baja California
and Baja California Sur
. The region is a mountainous area with large desert areas and stunning natural formations like Copper Canyon
, Sierra Madre Occidental
and Pinacate Peaks
; vast deserts such as Gran Desierto de Altar
and El Vizcaíno Desert
; and it also includes the Gulf of California
and the Baja California Peninsula
that includes numerous large and small islands like Guadalupe Island
, Cedros Island
, Tiburón Island
and Archangel Island
.
. Bordered on the north by the United States
, south and west with the Pacific Ocean
and the states of Nayarit
, and east with the states of Coahuila
and Zacatecas
.
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
, Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
, Chihuahua, Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
and Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
. The region is a mountainous area with large desert areas and stunning natural formations like Copper Canyon
Copper Canyon
Copper Canyon is a group of canyons consisting of six distinct canyons in the Sierra Tarahumara in the southwestern part of the state of Chihuahua in Mexico...
, Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
and Pinacate Peaks
Pinacate Peaks
The Pinacate Peaks are a volcanic group of volcanic peaks and cinder cones located mostly in the Mexican state of Sonora along the international border adjacent to the U.S...
; vast deserts such as Gran Desierto de Altar
Gran Desierto de Altar
The Gran Desierto de Altar is one of the major portions of the Sonoran Desert of Mexico, including the only active erg dune region in North America. It extends across much of the northern border of the Gulf of California, reaching more than 100 kilometers east to west, and over 50 km north to...
and El Vizcaíno Desert
El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve
The El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, created in 1988, is located in Mulegé Municipality in northern Baja California Sur, at the center of the Baja California Peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez...
; and it also includes the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
and the Baja California Peninsula
Baja California Peninsula
The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
that includes numerous large and small islands like Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located 241 kilometers off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and some 400 kilometers southwest of the city of Ensenada in Baja California state, in the Pacific Ocean...
, Cedros Island
Cedros Island
Cedros Island is a Mexican island in the Pacific Ocean....
, Tiburón Island
Tiburón Island
Tiburón Island is both the largest island in the Gulf of California and the largest island in Mexico, with an area of . It was made a nature reserve in 1963 by President Adolfo López Mateos. Tiburón is Spanish for shark. The etymology of the Seri name is unknown...
and Archangel Island
Isla Ángel de la Guarda
Isla Ángel de la Guarda, also called Archangel Island, and called Xazl Iimt east of Bahía de los Ángeles, and separated from the Baja California Peninsula by the Canal de Ballenas . It is the second largest of the eleven Midriff Islands or Islas Grandes. It is part of the state of Baja California,...
.
Description
Northwest Mexico in a region with a high HDIHuman Development Index
The Human Development Index is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", and "low human development" countries...
. Bordered on the north by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, south and west with the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and the states of Nayarit
Nayarit
Nayarit officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.It is located in Western Mexico...
, and east with the states of Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
and Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
.
States
| State | Official Name Estado Libre y Soberano de: |
Flag | Capital | Largest city | Area | Population (2009) | Order of Admission to Federation |
Date of Admission to Federation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baja California Baja California Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North... |
Baja California |  |
Mexicali Mexicali Mexicali is the capital of the State of Baja California, seat of the Municipality of Mexicali, and 2nd largest city in Baja California. The City of Mexicali has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area reaches 936,826.The city... |
Tijuana Tijuana Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics... |
71446 km² (27,585.5 sq mi) | 3,122,408 | 29 | 16-01-1952 |
| Baja California Sur Baja California Sur Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises... |
Baja California Sur |  |
La Paz | La Paz | 73922 km² (28,541.4 sq mi) | 558,425 | 31 | 08-10-1974 |
| Chihuahua | Chihuahua |  |
Chihuahua | Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande... |
247455 km² (95,542.9 sq mi) | 3,376,062 | 18 | 06-07-1824 |
| Durango Durango Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja... |
Durango |  |
Victoria de Durango | Victoria de Durango | 123451 km² (47,664.7 sq mi) | 1,547,597 | 17 | 22-05-1824 |
| Sinaloa Sinaloa Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales.... |
Sinaloa |  |
Culiacán Rosales | Culiacán Rosales | 57377 km² (22,153.4 sq mi) | 2,650,499 | 20 | 14-10-1830 |
| Sonora Sonora Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo.... |
Sonora |  |
Hermosillo Hermosillo Hermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population... |
Hermosillo Hermosillo Hermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population... |
179503 km² (69,306.5 sq mi) | 2,499,263 | 12 | 10-01-1824 |
See also
- Eastern MexicoEastern MexicoThe Eastern Mexico or also called East-Central Mexico , is a region of United Mexican States, formed by the states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Veracruz...
- North-Central MexicoNorth-Central MexicoNorth-Central Mexico is a region of Mexico consisting of five of the United Mexican States: Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas. It is a region with many colonial-style buildings and a wide variety of landscapes, from the mountains of Zacatecas and Guanajuato, la...
- Northeastern MexicoNortheastern MexicoNortheastern Mexico, is a geographic region of Mexico, composed of the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. The Northeast is one of the wealthiest and most industrialized regions of Mexico; with Nuevo León having the highest GDP per capita among the Mexican states, closely followed by...
- South-Central MexicoSouth-Central MexicoThe South-Central Mexico is a region of the United Mexican States, formed by the states of Morelos and México; as well as Mexico City, federal district and capital of the country. It is located in the central plateau of Prehispanic Mexico in the area of Texcoco lake...
- Southeastern Mexico
- Southwestern MexicoSouthwestern MexicoSouthwestern Mexico is a region of Mexico, formed by the states of Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca.Because of its population is mostly indigenous people, these states are famous for the deep roots of their traditions, holidays, crafts and great food...
- Western MexicoWestern MexicoThe Western Mexico is a region of United Mexican States, formed by the states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Colima and Michoacan, also includes the Revillagigedo Islands, Marías Islands and several smaller islands...