Coatzacoalcos | |
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City and municipality | |
    Top: Panoramic view of Coatzacoalcos's downtown Middle: Olmec Archaeology Museum, Cathedral of Saint Joseph Bottom: National flag at the seafront | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: La Ciudad de las Avenidas (The City of Avenues) | |
  Coatzacoalcos Location in Mexico Show map of Veracruz Coatzacoalcos Coatzacoalcos (Mexico) Show map of Mexico | |
| Coordinates:18°08′29″N94°26′04″W / 18.14139°N 94.43444°W /18.14139; -94.43444 | |
| Country | Mexico |
| State | Veracruz |
| Region | Olmeca Region |
| Municipality | Coatzacoalcos |
| Founded | 1522 |
| Government | |
| • Municipal president | Amado Jesús Cruz MalpicaMORENA |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 309.2 km2 (119.4 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Municipality | 310,698(3rd in Veracruz) |
| • Density | 1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi) |
| • Seat | 212,540 |
| • Metro | 354,606 |
| • Metro density | 714.64/km2 (1,850.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| Postal code | 96380 – 96599 |
| Area code | 921 |
| Website | www |
Coatzacoalcos (Spanish:[koatsakoˈalkos]; formerly known asPuerto México;Nahuatl languages:Koatzakwalko;Zapotec:Niniashi;Popoluca:Puertu) is a majorport city in the southern part of theMexican state ofVeracruz, mostly on the western side of theCoatzacoalcos River estuary, on theBay of Campeche, on the southern Gulf of Mexico coast. The city serves as the municipal seat of themunicipality of the same name. The city had a 2020 census population of 212,540, making it the third-largest city in the state afterVeracruz andXalapa. The municipality covers a surface area of 471.16 km2 (181.916 sq mi) and reported a population of 310,698 persons. The municipality population in 2015 was 319,187 a decrease of 9% over 2020.[1]
Coatzacoalcos comes from aNahuatl word meaning "site of the Snake" or "where the snake hides."[2] According to the legend, this is where the godQuetzalcoatl made his final journey to the sea in around 999 and he made his promise to return.
Coatzacoalcos sits within theOlmec heartland. Excavations in 2008 for a tunnel under the Coatzacoalcos River indicate a substantial pre-Hispanic population.[3] By the time the Spanish arrived, Coatzacoalcos was an important center of regional trade and the capital of an extensive polity covering much of the modernOlmeca Region and perhaps reaching into the westernmost portions of the state of Tabasco. At some point there was a conflict with theAztec garrison atTuxtepec, and Aztecpochteca were later allowed safe passage in order to travel to Tabasco, though it never became an Aztec subject state.Nahuas were the predominant ethnicity, speaking the localIsthmus dialect, but the region was also inhabited by manyPopolucas speakingMixe-Zoque languages. SmallMixtec andZapotec populations were reported in theRelaciones geográficas, but not much is known about them.[4]
In 1522,Hernán Cortés orderedGonzalo de Sandoval to fund a settlement near Guazacualco. Sandoval named itVilla del Espíritu Santo.[5]
San Martín Tuxtla is an active volcano lying northwest of Coatzcoalcos in theSierra de los Tuxtlas. It erupted in 1664, in May 1793 with large ash falls and lava flows, and most recently in 1796.[6]
The town was elevated to the category of port in 1825 and the name was changed toCoatzacoalcos.[5]
The municipality of Coatzacoalcos was established 22 December 1881, with the town as its seat.[5] In 1900 the town name was changed toPuerto México. In 1911 it was elevated to city, and in 1936 the name was changed to the current Coatzacoalcos.[5]
On 23 July 1940, Coatzacoalcos welcomed refugees from theSpanish Civil War who sought asylum in Mexico after travelling across the Atlantic aboard the SSSanto Domingo.[5]
In 1959, the city suffered damage from an Mw 6.4earthquake.[7]
Coatzacoalcos became a very important crossroads during the oil boom of the 1970s, connecting theYucatán Peninsula and oil fields inCampeche to the rest of Mexico and to the port ofSalina Cruz inOaxaca on the Pacific coast.
The city is located at18°9′N94°26′W / 18.150°N 94.433°W /18.150; -94.433 where theCoatzacoalcos Riverdebouches into theBay of Campeche. Overland it is connected by road and rail to the Pacific Ocean about 160 kilometres (99 mi) away. This location has prompted plans for an interoceanic waterway across theIsthmus of Tehuantepec, or for a much expanded railroad system, for over a century.
In theKöppen climate classification the climate is classified asAm for atropical monsoon climate. A typical year sees more than 290 centimetres (110 in) of rainfall.[8] Lying on the Gulf of Mexico, Coatzacoalcos has been struck by several hurricanes and tropical storms such asHurricane Diana in August 1990,Hurricane Mitch in November 1998,Tropical Storm Larry in October 2003,Hurricane Stan in October 2005,Hurricane Dean in August 2007,Tropical Storm Marco in October 2008,Tropical Storm Hermine in early September 2010,Hurricane Karl in mid September 2010,Tropical Storm Matthew in late September 2010,Hurricane Richard in October 2010 andHurricane Agatha in late May 2022. The winter months are cooler and drier than the summer months. Occasionally, cold high pressure cells from North America drift south across the Gulf of Mexico and drive strongTehuano winds across the Isthmus, with very strong wind concentration taking place inChivela Pass in Oaxaca.[9]
| Climate data for Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz (1981–2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 39.5 (103.1) | 40.0 (104.0) | 39.1 (102.4) | 41.2 (106.2) | 42.5 (108.5) | 43.0 (109.4) | 40.0 (104.0) | 39.0 (102.2) | 38.0 (100.4) | 38.3 (100.9) | 35.6 (96.1) | 37.2 (99.0) | 43.0 (109.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.6 (79.9) | 28.9 (84.0) | 31.0 (87.8) | 32.1 (89.8) | 31.8 (89.2) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.3 (86.5) | 29.0 (84.2) | 28.0 (82.4) | 26.2 (79.2) | 29.2 (84.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.6 (72.7) | 23.6 (74.5) | 25.3 (77.5) | 27.3 (81.1) | 28.6 (83.5) | 28.4 (83.1) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.3 (81.1) | 26.2 (79.2) | 25.2 (77.4) | 23.5 (74.3) | 26.1 (79.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.6 (67.3) | 20.5 (68.9) | 21.7 (71.1) | 23.5 (74.3) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.0 (77.0) | 23.6 (74.5) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.4 (74.1) | 22.4 (72.3) | 20.8 (69.4) | 22.9 (73.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) | 9.6 (49.3) | 11.8 (53.2) | 12.0 (53.6) | 19.1 (66.4) | 19.9 (67.8) | 17.1 (62.8) | 20.8 (69.4) | 19.0 (66.2) | 18.0 (64.4) | 14.9 (58.8) | 12.0 (53.6) | 9.6 (49.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 95.1 (3.74) | 58.2 (2.29) | 46.1 (1.81) | 48.4 (1.91) | 155.2 (6.11) | 234.8 (9.24) | 268.2 (10.56) | 311.0 (12.24) | 506.2 (19.93) | 364.6 (14.35) | 265.8 (10.46) | 223.6 (8.80) | 2,577.1 (101.46) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 11.0 | 6.3 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 12.9 | 14.9 | 19.1 | 19.9 | 14.1 | 12.6 | 11.6 | 136.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 82 | 80 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 77 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 78 | 80 | 81 | 78 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 132 | 143 | 192 | 211 | 209 | 195 | 199 | 199 | 166 | 159 | 147 | 123 | 2,075 |
| Source: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional[10] | |||||||||||||
The city's industry is dominated by thepetrochemical sector. Four big industrial petrochemical complexes are located near the city (Pajaritos, Cosoleacaque, Morelos and Cangrejera) making it one of the most important concentrations of its kind in the world. The state-ownedPemex Petroquímica subsidiary is headquartered in Coatzacoalcos and 85% of its production is concentrated there.[11]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 259,069 | — |
| 2000 | 267,212 | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 380,363 | +42.3% |
| 2010 | 305,260 | −19.7% |
| 2015 | 319,187 | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 310,698 | −2.7% |
| [1] | ||
In 2020, the municipality reported a population of 310,698 inhabitants, 212,540 residing in the municipal seat,.[1] which makes it the 3th largest in the state afterVeracruz andXalapa. Other localities include Ciudad Olmeca (24,085 hab.), Allende (23,351 hab.), Villa San Martín (15,659 hab.) and Puerto Esmeralda (9,585 hab.).[1] Coatzacoalcos is the seat of a Metropolitan Area, which together with the municipalities ofIxhuatlán del Sureste andNanchital de Lázaro Cárdenas del Río had a population of 354,606 in 2020.
TheUniversidad Veracruzana maintains a branch campus and library in Coatzacoalcos.[12] Also,TecNM has a campus in the city.
TheTiburones Rojos de Coatzacoalcos (Red Sharks) played in thePrimera División A until December 2008 when they moved toOrizaba to become part of a reformedAlbinegros de Orizaba. TheDelfines de Coatzacoalcos (Dolphins) play in theEstadio Rafael Hernández Ochoa, which was built in 1980.[13] TheUniversidad Istmo Americana F.C. plays in theTercera División de México and is based in Coatzacoalcos.
Coatzacoalcos has been a transportation hub for hundreds of years. It is connected via air, water, road, and rail tothe surrounding region and the rest of the world.
TheMinatitlán/Coatzacoalcos National Airport is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) away inCosoleacaque and has been aninternational airport since August 2006.
ThePort of Coatzacoalcos (Puerto México) is an international port of entry that provides transhipment of oil and petrochemicals.After an upgrade to the railway along the Tehuantepec Route was opened in 1907 byPorfirio Díaz the port saw an increase of shipping via theIsthmus of Tehuantepec, particularly from theAmerican-Hawaiian Steamship Company. The port saw a decrease in traffic after the opening of the Panama Canal from 1914 on, but traffic has started to build up since the oil boom of the 1970s. The railway is now known as theFerrocarril Transístmico ("Trans-Isthmic Railroad").
TheCG Railway operatestrain ferries between the Port of Coatzacoalcos and theUnited States at thePort of Mobile inAlabama.Ferrosur also provides rail service in and out of Coatzacoalcos as far southeast asLas Choapas, to the north and west to Veracruz andMexico City, as well as to the south over the Tehuantepec route now owned byFerrocarril Transístmico from Medias Aguas to Salina Cruz in the state ofOaxaca.[14]
Mexican Federal Highway 180 follows the southern shore of the Bay of Campeche through Coatzacoalcos to theYucatán Peninsula. Highway 180 and a rail line to Allende have been carried over the Coatzacoalcos River via the 1910 builtCoatza I bridge for more than a century. A second cable stayed bridge known asCoatza II orAntonio Dovalí Jaime was built to the south to carry more road traffic over the river. It was constructed starting in 1979 and was opened by PresidentMiguel de la Madrid Hurtado on 17 October 1984.[15]Coatza II has a center span of 288 metres (945 ft) and an overall length of 698.25 metres (2,290.8 ft).[16] A ferry operates between the city of Coatzacoalcos and Allende, which in 2017 was supplemented by a 1.1-kilometre (0.68 mi)underwater tunnel that carries four lanes of traffic.[5] Coatzacoalcos is also the northern terminus ofMexican Federal Highway 185, which links it with the Pacific Ocean atSalina Cruz,Oaxaca, on the other side of theIsthmus of Tehuantepec.
Coatzacoalcos is the birthplace of actressSalma Hayek; journalistMaría Antonieta Collins; and footballers Sergio Ramirez, who played forFC Ararat Yerevan, in theArmenian Premier League andJosé Arturo Rivas, who played for theTigres de la UANL, in thePrimera División de México. Also,Silviano Delgado Valladolid, who was part of Mexico's National Squad during Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games and played for Toluca F.C., Puebla F.C., Morelia F.C.
Rizhao, China
San Fernando, Philippinesintegrado por Pemex Petroquímica Organismo Subsidiario de Petróleos Mexicanos, el cual tiene ubicadas sus oficinas centrales en la Ciudad de Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz
Places adjacent to Coatzacoalcos | |
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