Baja California in Mexico

22 May 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Rosarito Beach © flickr.com - cesar bojorquez/cc-by-2.0

Rosarito Beach © flickr.com – cesar bojorquez/cc-by-2.0

Baja California (English: Lower California) is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, comprises the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California (El Territorio Norte de Baja California). It comprises the northern half of the Baja California Peninsula plus oceanic Guadalupe Island. The mainland portion of the state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by Sonora, the U.S. State of Arizona, and the Gulf of California (also known as the “Sea of Cortez”), and on the south by Baja California Sur. Its northern limit is the U.S. state of California. The state has an estimated population of well above 3,3 million, much more than the sparsely populated Baja California Sur to the south, and similar to San Diego County, California on its north. Over 75% of the population lives in the capital city, Mexicali, in Ensenada, or in Tijuana. Other important cities include San Felipe, Rosarito Beach and Tecate. The population of the state is composed of Mestizos, mostly immigrants from other parts of Mexico, and, as with most northern Mexican states, a large population of Mexicans of European ancestry, and also a large minority group of East Asian, Middle Eastern and indigenous descent. Additionally, there is a large immigrant population from the United States due to its proximity to San Diego and the cheaper cost of living compared to San Diego. There is also a significant population from Central America. Many immigrants moved to Baja California for a better quality of life and the number of higher paying jobs in comparison to the rest of Mexico and Latin America.   read more…

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