Veracruz
:
Veracruz is the name of both a state in Mexico and that state's largest city. This article is about the state. For the city, see
Veracruz, Veracruz. For other uses, see
Veracruz (disambiguation).
The state of
Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave is one of the 31
states that compose
Mexico (does not include the Mexican
Federal District).
It is located in the east central part of the country, between 17°10' and 22°38' North and between 93°55' and 98°38' West. It has a mainland area of
72,815 km² and includes several islands in the Gulf of Mexico totalling another
58 km².
Veracruz borders the states of
Tamaulipas to the north,
Oaxaca and
Chiapas to the south,
Tabasco to the southeast,
Puebla,
Hidalgo, and
San Luis Potosi to the west, and the
Gulf of Mexico to the east.
Its capital is
Xalapa. With 6.9 million inhabitants, the state of Veracruz is the third most populous in the nation, after the
Federal District and the state of
México.
On the coastal plains and throughout most of the state, the
climate is hot and humid. On the foothills of the mountains, the climate is cool and humid. The climate only becomes cold in the mountain regions, where it also rains copiously. From June to October, Veracruz is "occasionally" affected by
hurricanes.
Its formal name is
Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave in honor of General
Ignacio de la Llave, who died in 1863 after wounds received during the
French invasion of Mexico. The official name was
Veracruz-Llave from 1863 to 2004.
Important cities
*
Acayucan: Commercial and agricultural hub for many villages in the surrounding area.
*
Alvarado: Port, agricultural producer, and fishing center.
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Alto Lucero: Site of Mexico's only nuclear power plant,
Laguna Verde*
Catemaco: Popular touristic resort on the shores of a beautiful mountain lake.
*
Coatepec: Colonial city in the heart of coffee country.
*
Coatzacoalcos: Major port and oil refinery center.
*
Córdoba: Important center for agriculture and commerce.
*
Minatitlán: Industrial and oil refinery city near Coatzacoalcos.
*
Orizaba: Important industrial city in the mountains below Mexico's highest peak, el
Pico de Orizaba.
*
Poza Rica: Large city in the northern part of the state. Petroleum, commercial, and transportation center.
*
Tlacotalpan: A
river port and
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
*
Veracruz: A major port on the Gulf of Mexico and the state's biggest city.
*
Xalapa: The state capital.
Also in Veracruz are the city of
Papantla and the
Pre-Columbian ruins of
El Tajín. The centers of the ancient
Olmec civilization were located in what is today Veracruz and the neighboring state of
Tabasco.
In Veracruz and Tabasco, unlike the rest of Mexico, the accent is considered
Caribbean Spanish, partly due to the heavy
Cuban influence.
The state of Veracruz is subdivided into more than 210 municipalities
(municipios). See
municipalities of Veracruz.
*
Veracruz state government (in English)
*
Veracruz Photos and History (English)
*
Veracruz Gallery (Spanish)
*
museum of the city (Spanish)
