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Veracruz Facts

Veracruz Facts
Veracruz is one of Mexico's thirty-one states and thirty-two federal districts. Located on the Caribbean coastline, Veracruz is a long, narrow state that is bordered by several states, with the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain chain effectively acting as its western border and the Caribbean as its eastern border. In terms of high culture, Veracruz is among the oldest of all regions in Mexico, as the Olmecs began building monumental architecture and cities there around 1,200 BC. The state later played a role in the Mexican War of Independence and the Mexican Civil War. The state's economy is largely driven by its agricultural and mineral sectors, with numerous state-run oil well and platform, both onshore and offshore, being located within Veracruz's boundaries.
Interesting Veracruz Facts:
Veracruz ranks eleventh in total size among all Mexican states at 27,732 square miles and third in population at just over eight million people.
A-list actress Salma Hayek was born and raised in Veracruz.
When the French invaded Mexico in 1861, they landed in Veracruz.
Veracruz City is the largest city in Veracruz with a metro population of more than 700,000 people. The capital of Veracruz is Xalapa.
As with the rest of Mexico, Veracruz is quite ethnically mixed, although its population has a historically higher percentage of African genes.
The African population of Veracruz was initially brought there as slaves, as they were all throughout the Americas, but they eventually formed their own communities once they attained their freedom. Today they have largely mixed into the greater population of the state.
Tourism in Veracruz is primarily centered on the coastal city of Veracruz City, where there are a number of resorts and motels. From Veracruz City many tourists visit the Pre-Columbian archeological sites, such as El Tajin.
Veracruz was admitted as the seventh member of the United Mexican States on December 22, 1823.
The topography of Veracruz is quite diverse, ranging from coastal planes to rainforests and from alpine to temperate zones.
May is the warmest month in Veracruz, with highs around 91 F, while September is the wettest with more than fifteen inches of rain on average.
Veracruz is Mexico's leading exporter of coffee, sugar, corn, and rice, but vanilla, bananas, and beans also comprise a major portion of the state's agricultural sector.
Although oil is the most valuable mineral extracted from Veracruz today, in Pre-Columbian times basalt was mined extensively in the region. The Olmecs used basalt to create the monumental and somewhat enigmatic heads that still impress people today. The Olmecs also exported basalt as far away as the Central Mexican Valley and the rainforests of what is today Central America.
The U.S. Marines landed in Veracruz on April 21, 1914 in an effort to capture Pancho Villa but were unsuccessful.
The southeastern part of Veracruz is part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which is the shortest distance on land between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.


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