Istmo de Tehuantepec | |
|---|---|
Region | |
 Oaxaca regions - Istmo de Tehuantepec to the east | |
| Coordinates:16°10′57″N95°11′45″W / 16.18250°N 95.19583°W /16.18250; -95.19583 | |
| Country |  Mexico |
| State | Oaxaca |
| Largest settlement | Juchitán de Zaragoza |
| Area | |
• Total | 19,977 km2 (7,713 sq mi) |
| Population (2005) | |
• Total | 562,155 |
Istmo de Tehuantepec is the largest region of the state ofOaxaca, located in southeasternMexico.
It covers the southern part of theIsthmus of Tehuantepec, the shortest route between theGulf of Mexico and thePacific Ocean before thePanama Canal was opened.
The Istmo region has two districts,Juchitán District andTehuantepec District, and 41municipalities.[1]
The region contain the largest part of theSelva Zoque (Zoque Forest) ecological region, that extends into adjacentVeracruz andChiapas states.[2] It is an area of significant ecological importance, including the largest intact tropicalcloud forest in Central America. It also has lowlandtropical rainforests,tropical dry forests,Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests andSierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests, andChimalapas montane forests. The forest is also home to 300 species ofnativeorchids, representing 27% of known Mexican orchid species and 60% of recorded Mexican orchid genera.[3]
The region has cement and lime plants. The main industry is thePemexoil refinery in the port ofSalina Cruz, the largest city in Istmo de Tehuantepec, located on the Pacific coast at theGulf of Tehuantepec. The isthmus has extensive livestock production operations. Crops include sesame, coffee, rice,sorghum, pineapple, banana, coconut, melon, andsugarcane. Fishing cooperatives harvest shrimp and other seafood from the Pacific.
The government has plans to develop the trans-Isthmus of Tehuantepec corridor, including improving transportation routes, developing an industrial zone along the highway, and expanding the petroleum and petrochemical industries inSalina Cruz. Other plans include creating coffee plantations and cattle corridors; expanding production of beans, maize, and chili; and exploiting the bio-genetic resources of native medicinal plants.[4]
The proposed 2021 budget contemplates MXN $4,133 billion (US $199.3 million), and 18.% increase over 2020, for theCorredor Multimodal Interoceánico Istmo de Tehuantepec (Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec).[5]
The2017 Chiapas earthquake severely damaged buildings in the region on 7 September 2017. It measured 8.2 on themoment magnitude scale and a maximumMercalli intensity of IX (Violent) and occurred approximately 87 kilometres (54 mi) south ofPijijiapan off the Chiapas coast in theGulf of Tehuantepec.[6][7]
