NAYARIT

'Nayarit' is one of Mexico’s 31 states and is located on the central west coast, bordering the Pacific Ocean. Nayarit is surrounded by the states of Sinaloa to the northwest, Durango to the north, Zacatecas to the northeast and Jalisco to the south with the Pacific Ocean bordering it to the west. Also in Nayarit are the cities and towns of Acaponeta, San Blas, Matanchen, Tecuala, Zacualpan, Chacala and Tuxpan, as well as the island settlement of Mexcaltitán. Also belonging to the state are the Islas Marias, Islas Tres Marietas and Isla Isabel, all in the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Tepic, which is located inland and south on the Tepic River. Nearby is the Sanganguey volcano and the crater lake. Nayarit's rugged coastline makes it an ideal destination for surfers and birdwatchers alike, as the natural terrain holds lagoons and other wildlife treasures. ^[1]
In August 2006, Nayarit was found to be a major base for heroin trafficking. ^[2]

Contents

History

Geography

Religion

Education

Agriculture

Economy

Municipalities

Major communities

External links

References

History

The Spanish knew the region of Nayarit in the sixteenth century although they didn’t conquer it until the early seventeenth century. Compostela, a town in the region near Tepic was the first capital of Nueva Galicia. Nayarit shifted from being a dependency of Guadalajara shortly after that, to part of Jalisco after Mexico won its independence. In 1884 Nayarit separated into its own territory and became a state in 1917. InfoPlease

Geography

Nayarit covers , making it one of the smaller states of Mexico.^[3] Nayarit is located between latitude lines 23°05' north and 20°36' south and longitude lines 103°43' east and 105°46' west.^[4] Its terrain is broken up by the western ends of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. Its highest mountains are: San Juan, Sanguangüey, El Ceboruco, Cumbre de Pajaritos and Picachos. Nayarit has two volcanoes, Ceboruco and Sangangüey. In the northeast are broad, tropical plains watered by the Santiago River, a continuation of the Lerma.History Channel The main state rivers are the Santiago, San Pedro, Acaponeta, Ameca and Las Cañas. The last two also form natural boundaries with the states of Jalisco and Sinaloa, respectively. Nayarit also has several lagoons such as the Santa María del Oro, San Pedro Lagunillas and Agua Brava.

Religion

Typical of Mexico, Nayarit's inhabitants are Catholic in majority.

Religion	Percent	Population
Catholic	91.8%	748,579
Protestant Evangelical	3%	24,313
Biblical Non-Evangelical	1.3%	10, 535
Not Religious	2.9%	23, 607

^[5]
Tepic is home to the Catedral de la Purisma Concepcion or Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.Churches Mx

Education

★ Instituto Tecnológico de Tepic

★ Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit

★ Universidad Tecnólogica de Nayarit

★ Universidad Tecnólogica de la Costa
Each generation, according to the 2000 census is increasingly more literate. The 15-19 year old age group has a 98% literacy rate while the 60+ age group has a 72.9% literacy rate.^[6]

Agriculture

A variety of products are able to be produced in Nayarit due to its variable geography and climate. Volcanic soil, heavy rains and many altitude variations due to the mountains allow for the diverse crops. The crops include grain, sugarcane, cotton, coffee, and tobacco. Forest wealth is also taken advantage of and cattle raising is also important.Common Borders

Economy

Nayarit depends heavily on natural resources and agriculture to support their economy.Encyclopedia Cash crops such as mangos, coffee, tobacco and sugar cane are staples in the economy. There is a huge mining industry due to large deposits of lead, copper, silver, and gold which makes for a large industry in mining, making up another significant portion of the economy.

Municipalities

Nayarit is divided into 20 municipalities ''(municipios)''. See municipalities of Nayarit.

Major communities

★ Acaponeta

★ Compostela

★ Ixtlán del Río

★ Santiago Ixcuintla

★ Tepic

★ Tuxpan

★ Xalisco

★ Villa Hidalgo

External links

★ Nayarit hotels, restaurants , maps

★ Nayarit State Government

★ Rock Scene in Nayarit

★ Compostela Nayarit Mexico

★ Mismaloya Puerto Vallarta

References

1. [1]
2. [2]
3. Gov Mx
4. Map Gov Mx
5. Gov Mx
6. Gov Mx