Tamaulipas

Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas; Estado Libre y Soberano; de Tamaulipas
	— State —
; Flag	; Seal
	Location of Tamaulipas within Mexico
	Municipalities of Tamaulipas
	Coordinates: 24°17′14″N 98°33′48″W / 24.28722°N 98.56333°WCoordinates: 24°17′14″N 98°33′48″W / 24.28722°N 98.56333°W
Country	Mexico
Capital	Ciudad Victoria
Municipalities	43
Largest City	Reynosa
Admission	February 7, 1824
Order	14th
	Government
- Governor	Eugenio Hernández Flores (PRI)
- Federal Deputies	PAN:5; PRI:3
- Federal Senators	PAN:2; PRI:1
	Area; Ranked 7th
- Total	79,384 km2 (30,650.3 sq mi)
	Population (2005)
- Total	3,024,238 (Ranked 13th)
- Demonym	Tamaulipeco
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
HDI	0.850 - high; Ranked 10th
ISO 3166-2	MX-TAM
Postal abbr.	Tamps.
Website	Tamaulipas State Government

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Tamaulipas (Spanish pronunciation: [tamauˈlipas]) is one of the 31 states of Mexico and is located in the central-northeastern part of the Mexican federation. It borders the U.S. state of Texas to the north, the Gulf of Mexico to the east, Veracruz to the south, San Luis Potosí to the southwest, and Nuevo León to the west.

The name Tamaulipas is derived from Tamaholipa, a Huastec term in which the tam- prefix signifies "place where." As yet, there is no scholarly agreement on the meaning of holipa, but "high hills" is a common interpretation.^{[citation needed]} (However, a native population of Tamaulipas, now extinct, was referred to as the "Olives" during the early colonial period, which is a likely Spanish transformation on holipa.)^{[citation needed]}

According to the 2006 census, Tamaulipas has a population of 3,024,238. Its capital is Ciudad Victoria. Other important cities include Reynosa, Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo Tampico and San Fernando

[edit] History

The area currently known as Tamaulipas has been inhabited for at least 8,000 years. Several different cultures (north coastal, south coastal, lowlands, and mountains) have passed during that period.

Although Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztecs rather quickly, it took a gradual process for Spain to subjugate the inhabitants of Tamaulipas in the 16th and 17th centuries. The first permanent Spanish settlement in the area was Tampico in 1554. More work along these lines was done by Franciscan missionaries, although repeated indigenous rebellions kept the area unstable. What is now Tamaulipas was first incorporated as a separate province of New Spain in 1746 with the name Nuevo Santander. The local government capital during this time moved from Santander to San Carlos, and finally to Aguayo.

After Mexico's independence from Spain, Tamaulipas continued to be an unstable region. The fight in the national government between federalist and centralist factions resulted in repeated rebellions. In January 1854, Tamaulipas was declared a state of the union during the civil war between Santa Anna and the liberal guerrilla factions that had been in power before him. Its capital was kept at Aguayo, which would later be renamed Ciudad Victoria.

It briefly became a part of the Republic of the Rio Grande.

The French occupation and reign of Emperor Maximilian during the 1860s was difficult for Tamaulipas, at least on the borders and in the city of Tampico. Portions of Tamaulipas supported the guerrilla fighters resisting the French, especially in the north. It was not until two years after French occupation began that Tamaulipas as a state finally acceded to Maximilian's rule, and it was not until 1866 that the last French soldiers left the state, leading up to Maximilian's execution in 1867.

However, the years after Maximilian's defeat were ones of rebuilding and great growth in Tamaulipas. International trade began to blossom, especially with the coming of the railroad to Tampico, which was developing as not only a port city, but an industrial and commercial center as well. The railroad allowed goods to flow quickly from the mines and cities of the interior and the Texas border to Tampico for processing and shipment. This in turn caused significant growth in towns such as Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo.

Since the revolution of 1910, successive governments have dedicated themselves to building industry and infrastructure in Tamaulipas, including communications and educational systems. Norberto Treviño Zapata founded the state university system as well as reformed the state oil industry. Marte Gómez provided increased farm sizes for private family farmers. And more recently, Emilio Martínez Manautou led industrial growth. Lately a push has been to strengthen fishing, including efforts to increase the price of fish and shellfish on the international market.

[edit] Geography

The geographic imaginary line known as the Tropic of Cancer crosses the northern part of the capital city of Ciudad Victoria.

The coastal plains along the Gulf have a large presence in the state, whereas inland the landscape is adorned by cactus species and pasture. Predominant fauna in the region include the Cougar (Puma concolor), Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata), Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), American Badger (Taxidea taxus), North American Beaver (Castor canadensis), Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) and quail.

In the southeast, the Sierra Madre Oriental displays warm valleys and high sierras with peaks reaching 3,280 m (10,760 ft) in the Pedragoso Sierra; 3,240 m (10,630 ft) in the Borregos Sierra; 3,220 m (10,560 ft) in La Gloria Sierra; 3,180 m (10,430 ft) in Cerro el Nacimiento; and 3,000 m (9,800 ft) above sea level in the Sierra el Pinal.

In terms of hydrology, the Bravo, Purificacion and Guayalejo rivers flow into the Gulf of Mexico after crossing the state from the western inland. On their way, their basins and zones of influence naturally correspond to the areas destined for agricultural use. The Rio Grande, known to Mexicans as the Rio Bravo, represents the northern frontier shared with the United States. One of the tributaries of this natural border, the San Juan River, feeds the Falcon International Reservoir and the Marte Gomez Dam, which, in conjunction with the "Friendship Dam", reach a capacity of 12,940 million cubic meters of stored water. Agricultural and cattle raising activities are served by other 14 dams across the state, with a total capacity of 7,500 million cubic meters of water.

As much as 90% of the state reports a dry or semi-dry climate, while the Huasteca mountain range presents hot and semi-humid conditions, along with humid winds coming from the Gulf, which means it is located in a zone highly influenced by cyclones, with predominant winds coming from the east and southeast.

[edit] Economy and culture

Northern Tamaulipas shares its culture with that of Texas, and is primarily characterized by agriculture and strong growth in all industrial sectors. This region is home to many of the maquiladoras, factories owned by foreign companies but worked by Mexicans, primarily by women.

Southern Tamaulipas' economy is based primarily on the petrochemical industries. There are petrochemical production plants around Altamira as well as a principal Gulf coast container port, refinery facilities in Ciudad Madero and many oil-industry support service companies in Tampico, as well as a major general and bulk cargo port.^[2] Also of importance are the tourism and fishing industries, as well as much commercial shipping, based in Tampico and Altamira. The little village of La Pesca, in the municipality of Soto La Marina, about midway between Brownsville, Texas and Tampico, is a rapidly growing tourist area with lovely beaches and excellent fishing both in the Gulf of Mexico and the Rio Soto La Marina. The central zone contains the capital, Ciudad Victoria, and is home to much forestry and farming, as well as some industrial development. About 30% of the population lives here, both in the capital and in Ciudad Mante. Ciudad Victoria is a significant educational center, home to the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (which also has campuses in other cities in the state), the Regional Technical Institute of Ciudad Victoria, the University of Valle de Bravo, and other institutions of learning.

As of the 1990 Mexican census, 13 percent of the homes had only dirt floors, nearly 19 percent had no running water, and over 15 percent of the homes had no electricity. This was better than the national average, but was skewed because of the high rate of development in the urban centers — in rural communities in Tamaulipas, access to running water was available in less than 40 percent of homes.

As of 2005, Tamaulipas’s economy represents 3.3% of Mexico’s total gross domestic product or 21,664 million USD.^[3] Tamaulipas's economy has a strong focus on export oriented manufacturing (i.e. maquiladora / INMEX). As of 2005, 258,762 people are employed in the manufacturing sector.^[4] Foreign direct investment in Tamaulipas was 386.2 million USD for 2005. The average wage for an employee in Tamaulipas is approximately 240 pesos per day, $2.00 to $3.00 an hour.^{[citation needed]}

Narco Crime Since 2006, Mexico has been shaken by a wave of violence associated with the drug trade. The Los Angeles Times estimates that 28,000 have died due to drug and organized crime violence. Tamaulipas has been hit particularly hard. In a single instance in August 2010, 72 bodies of homicide victims were found by Mexican Marines at a Tamaulipas ranch. The Los Angeles Times attributes the violence to a rivalry between the Gulf drug cartel and a group called the Zetas.^[5]

[edit] Largest cities and projects

Tampico, Business Center CONEXPO, Hospital Angeles, Médica Sur Hospital.
Nuevo Laredo, Paseo Reforma Mall Completed, Ciudad Deportiva Phase I/II Completed, Nuevo Laredo Regional Zoo Phase I Completed
Matamoros, Zoo
Reynosa
Villa Cuauhtemoc
Ciudad Victoria, New Private Hospital

[edit] Major cities

The state is subdivided into 43 municipalities.

[edit] Education

Tamaulipas enjoys standards slightly higher than the national averages, since illiteracy has been reduced to 5% for those over 15 years of age, average schooling reaches 7,8 years, and as much as 11% have earned a professional degree.

Institutions of higher education include: