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Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Michoacán
Michoacánmēchōäkän', state (1990 pop. 3,548,199), 23,202 sq mi (60,093 sq km), S Mexico. Morelia is the capital. Dominated by the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental and the volcanic chain of central Mexico, Michoacán extends from the Pacific Ocean northeastward into the central plateau. The Lerma River and Lake Chapala form part of its northern boundary with Jalisco; the Río de las Balsas marks the southern border with Guerrero. The climate and soil variations caused by topography and varying elevation make Michoacán a diverse agricultural state, producing temperate and tropical cereals, fruits, and vegetables. The forests yield fine cabinet woods and dyewoods. Mining is a leading industry; gold and silver are most important, but iron, coal, and zinc are also major minerals. Industrial development is modest, centering around iron and steel production. Michoacán, having no important Pacific port, ships its products from the cities of Morelia and Uruapan. Federally sponsored irrigation and hydroelectric power projects have aimed at developing the coastal region, and a reforestation program was instituted in the mountains in the 1990s, where (along the Mexico state border) monarch butterflies overwinter. Lake Pátzcuaro (where UNESCO and the Organization of American States have a training center for Latin American rural teachers) and the Paricutín volcano attract many tourists. Most of the state's inhabitants are native Tarascans; in recent years the state has seen a large outmigration to the United States. Michoacán played a leading role in Mexico's revolution against Spain and in subsequent struggles.

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Wikipedia search results for: Michoacán
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 constituent states of Mexico. It borders the states of Colima and Jalisco to the west, Guanajuato and Querétaro to the north, México to the east, Guerrero to the south-east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Michoacán has an area of 59,864 km² . It is the sixteenth largest state in Mexico, taking up 3% of the national territory. In a 2005 census the population was at 3,966,073 people. Its state capital is the city of Morelia, located between 2 main cities in Mexico, Mexico City and Guadalajara. For more than a thousand years, Michoacán has been the home of the P'urhépecha...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Michoacán
Results 1 - 10  of 13
  • Pátzcuaro

    Pátzcuaro, lake, c.100 sq mi (260 sq km) Michoacán state, W Mexico. Its indented shores, dotted with Tarascan villages, green islands, and the curious native sailboats help make Lake Pátzcuaro...

  • Tarascan

    Tarascan, Native Americans of the state of Michoacán, Mexico. Their language has no known relation to other languages, and their history prior to the 16th cent. is poorly understood. The polit...

  • Uruapan

    Uruapan, city (1990 pop. 187,623), Michoacán state, W Mexico. An attractive city with gardens and parks, it is in a semitropical, mountainous agricultural region. The city, founded in 1540, is...

  • Balsas, Río

    Balsas, Río, river, c.450 mi (720 km) long, rising in the state of Puebla, E central Mexico. One of Mexico's longest rivers, it flows in a curve from south to northwest through Puebla and Guer...

  • Chapala

    Chapala, lake, c.50 mi (80 km) long and 8 mi (12.8 km) wide, W Mexico, in Jalisco and Michoacán states. It is the largest lake in Mexico. Set in a depression on the central plateau, Lake Chapa...

  • Parícutin

    Parícutin, active volcano, c.8,200 ft (2,500 m) high, Michoacán state, W central Mexico. In one of the most spectacular eruptions of modern times, Parícutin burst forth from a cornfield on Feb...

  • Morelia

    Morelia, city (1990 pop. 489,756), capital of Michoacán state, W Mexico. It is the commercial and processing center of an irrigated agricultural and cattle-raising area. Founded as Valladolid ...

  • Cárdenas, Lázaro

    Cárdenas, Lázaro, 1895–1970, president of Mexico (1934–40). He joined the revolutionary forces in 1913 and rose to become a general. He was governor (1928–32) of his native state, Michoacán, a...

  • Colima, state, Mexico

    Colima, state (1990 pop. 428,510), 2,010 sq mi (5,206 sq km), SW Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean. The capital is Colima; the port is Manzanillo. The second smallest in population and one of the s...

  • Calderón Hinojosa, Felipe de Jesús

    Calderón Hinojosa, Felipe de Jesús, 1962–, Mexican politician, president of Mexico (2006–). His father, Luis Calderón Vega, helped found (1939) the conservative National Action party (PAN), an...

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