Home > Facts > Mexico Facts > Tabasco Facts

Tabasco Facts

Tabasco Facts
Tabasco is a small state located in southeastern Mexico. Its northern border is with the Gulf of Mexico and it also borders the states of Campeche, Veracruz, and Chiapas. Tabasco also shares a border with the nation of Guatemala. It is one of Mexico's smallest of the thirty-one states in terms of size and population. It covers 9,549 square miles in terms of landmass, making it twenty-fourth in terms of size and it is the twelfth most populous state with more than 2,300,000 people. Much of Tabasco is lowland and covered in rain forests, which has made intensive agriculture difficult, but has recently been a draw for eco-tourism. Tabasco's history goes back more than 2,000 years, beginning with Olmecs and later the Maya Mesoamerican cultures.
Interesting Tabasco Facts:
Tabasco is officially subdivided into two major regions: Grijalva and Usumacinta. Grijalva is the more urban of the two regions.
Tabasco has more water per capita than most other Mexican states. In addition to more than 123 miles of Caribbean coastline, the state has dozens of rivers, lakes, and swamps.
Despite primarily being in rain forest, Tabasco's forests have been severely reduced. Tabasco was reduced from nearly half tree cover in 1940 to less than 10% by the 1980s due to deforestation.
There are several off-shore oil platforms in the Caribbean of the shores of Tabasco.
It was near the city of La Venta where the ancient Olmec culture came into being. It was at La Venta where the first Meso-American pyramid was built, the first blood rituals took place, which included the Ball Game, and the earliest calendrical observations were made.
Comalcalco is an important Maya site located in Tabasco. The city was founded in the sixth century AD and abandoned by the year 1000. The site has several small pyramids.
Tabasco peppers, which are used to make Tabasco sauce, are named for the state of Tabasco, although they are grown in many Mexican states.
Tabasco has a hot, wet climate. The average mean temperature is 81°F, with May being the warmest month. The state averages more than eight feet of rain per year, with the rainy season happening in the summer and early fall months.
Tabasco became the thirteenth state in the United States of Mexico on February 7, 1824.
Villahermosa is the capital and largest city in Tabasco. It has a metro population of more than 600,000 people.
The state has recently make efforts to draw in tourists from around the world. Rain forest tours and adventure packages are offered with tours of the state's archaeological sites.
The state's only international airport is located in Villahermosa. It offers flights to most other Mexican states as well as Houston, Texas and Havana, Cuba.
Villahermosa was temporarily held in 1846 by American troops during the Mexican-American War.
Jaguars are a bit more common in the rain forests of Tabasco, although because they are so elusive tourists rarely see them on rain forest excursions.
Oil production and other mining provide the majority of the state's GDP, although most Tabasco residents are employed in the construction and manufacturing sector.


Related Links:
Facts
Mexico Facts
Animals Facts