9781422286913

Mexico’s Pacific South States

Hurricane Pauline was one of the worst to hit this region, causing major destruction of property and over 200 deaths in Colima, Guerrero, and Oaxaca during October 1997. The 2013 hurricane season was more destructive than usual, with a number of powerful storms. One of the worst was Hurricane Manuel, which landed near Manzanillo, Colima, in September 2013 and resulted in 169 deaths and widespread flooding across much of Mexico. Colima is surrounded on three sides by Jalisco and by Michoacán to the southeast. Directly south of Colima is the Pacific Ocean, where the Revillagigedo Archipelago lies, part of Colima as well. Although it is one of the smallest states in Mexico, Colima has some of the most varied geographical features. Starting at the many beaches on the Pacific Coast, the land rises up to the rich farms that dot the countryside. At the northeastern tip of the state, two volcanoes tower over the small villages—and one of them is still quite active! Sitting right at the southernmost edge of Mexico is Chiapas, the eighth largest state in the country. Consisting of 28,732 square miles (74,416 square kilometers), its boundaries run along the Pacific Ocean to the south to the border with Guatemala in the east and then north to the state of Tabasco, with Oaxaca and Veracruz bordering it to the west. Going inward from the coast, you immediately find yourself climbing the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, a large mountain range running parallel to the ocean. These mountains reach up to 13,310 feet (4,057 meters), with the spectacular Tacaná Volcano just inside the Guatemala border. Moving inland, you find the lush river valley of the Grijalva and northeast of them the central highlands, with lower lakes and valleys feeding into the Usumacinta River and eventually into Tabasco. Most of the forest is made up of valuable dyewoods and hardwoods, making it both an economic and cultural treasure, as more and more

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