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Nayarit
Location
Statistics
Capital	Tepic
Area	26,979 km² Ranked 23rd
Population (2005 census)	949,684 Ranked 28th
HDI (2004)	0.7652 - medium Ranked 23rd
Governor (2005-2011)	Ney González Sánchez (PRI)
Federal Deputies	PRI: 2 PRD: 1
Federal Senators	PRI: 2 PRD: 1
ISO 3166-2 Postal abbr.	MX-NAY Nay.

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 Tres Marias 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 1 History 2 Geography 3 Religion 4 Education 5 Agriculture 6 Economy 7 Municipalities 8 Major communities 9 External links 10 Works Cited

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. ¹

Nayarit covers 26, 908 km, making it one of the smaller states of Mexico.² Nayarit is located between latitude lines 23°05' north and 20°36' south and longitude lines 103°43' east and 105°46' west.³ 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.² Nayarit has two volcanoes, Ceboruco and Sangangüey. In the northeast are broad, tropical plains watered by the Santiago River, a continuation of the Lerma.⁴ 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.²

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.⁶

• Instituto Technólogica de Tepic
• Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit
• Universidad Technólogica de Nayarit
• Universidad Technólogica de la Costa

Each generation, according to the 2000 census is increasinly 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.⁷

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.⁸

Nayarit depends heavily on natural resources and agriculture to support their economy.⁹ 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.¹⁰

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

• Acaponeta
• Compostela
• Ixtlán del Río
• Santiago Ixcuintla
• Tepic
• Tuxpan
• Xalisco

• (Spanish) Nayarit State Government
• (Spanish) Rock Scene in Nayarit

Coordinates: 21°44′38″N, 105°13′42″W

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