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Tamaulipas Facts

Tamaulipas Facts
Tamulipas is one of the thirty-one states that comprise the United Mexican States, or more commonly known as Mexico. The shape of Tamaulipas is unique in that has a thin, 230 mile sliver that borders the U.S. state of Texas, while most of the rest of the state is average size, bordering the Gulf of Mexico. The southern part of Tamaulipas has a long history, being part of the Olmec and Aztec cultures in the Pre-Columbian Period. Tamaulipas was known as Nuevo Santander during Spanish rule when all of Mexico was part of New Spain. After Mexican independence, Tamaulipas was much larger, as it included much of what is today Texas. Perhaps more than any other border state, Tamaulipas' fortunes have also been closely tied to the United States, especially the state of Texas. Many large border cities - such as Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Reynosa - are on the Mexican side of the border across the Rio Grande from the American cities of Laredo, McAllen, Brownsville, and others. In recent years, Tamaulipas has been plagued by cartel and drug violence.
Interesting Tamaulipas Facts:
Tamaulipas has a hot, dry climate, which is partly due to the Tropic of Cancer passing through the southern portion of the state.
Tamaulipas became the fourteenth United Mexican State on February 7, 1824
Tamaulipas was part of the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840.
After NAFTA became law in 1993, many factories known as maquiladoras opened on the Mexican side of the border in Tamaulipas. Almost overnight many of the medium sized towns on the border grew into large, sprawling metropolises.
Tamaulipas has notable cultural and economic differences from north to south. The north is much more agriculturally based economically, while the economy of the south is more varied, with oil production playing a large role. Northern Tamaulipas is much poorer and is the location of the majority of the crime.
Ciudad Victoria is the capital of Tamaulipas. It is located in the central part of the state and has just over 300,000 people in its metro area. Reynosa is the largest city in the state with more than 600,000 people but with a metro area of more than twice that. Reynosa is located just across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas and is considered part of that city's metro area.
The name "Tamaulipas" is derived from a word in the Haustec Indian language, although there is scholarly disagreement over the meaning.
The mean annual temperature of Tamaulipas is 74°F.
Although cartel crime has devastated the state's tourism industry, there are some nice beaches and resorts in Tamaulipas, including Playa Miramar, and Playa Costa Azul.
The Sierra Madre Oriental mountain chains cuts through eastern Tamaulipas. The state also has the isolated Sierra de Tamaulipas chain. The small chain, which is only about seventy miles long and forty miles wide, is located in southeastern Tamaulipas.
Located between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra de Tamaulipas chains is another, isolated mountain chain known as the Sierra de San Carlos.


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