Quintana Roo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Mexican state. For other uses, see Quintana Roo
(disambiguation).
Quintana Roo
State
Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo
Flag of Quintana Roo
Flag Official seal of Quintana Roo
Seal
Anthem Himno a Quintana Roo
State of Quintana Roo within Mexico
State of Quintana Roo within Mexico
Coordinates 1936'N 8755'WCoordinates 1936'N 8755'W
Country Mexico
Capital Chetumal
Largest City Cancn
Municipalities 11
Admission October 8, 1974[1]
Order 30th
Government
Governor Carlos Joaqun PAN
Parliament Congress of Quintana Roo
Senators[2] Pedro Joaqun PRI
Ludivina Menchaca Castellanos PVEM
Jos Luis Garca PRD
Deputies[3]
Federal Deputies[show]
Area[4]
Total 44,705 km2 (17,261 sq mi)
Ranked 19th
Highest elevation[5] 230 m (750 ft)
Population (2015)[6]
Total 1,501,562
Rank 26th
Density 34km2 (87sq mi)
Density rank 24th
Demonym(s) Quintanarroense
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
Postal code 77
Area code
Area codes[show]
ISO 3166 code MX-ROO
HDI Increase 0.759 high Ranked 11th
GDP US$ 10,286,552.031 th[a]
Website www.qroo.gob.mx
^ a. The state's GDP was $131,667,866 thousand of pesos in 2008,[5] amount
corresponding to $10,286,552.031 thousand of dollars, being a dollar worth 12.80
pesos (value of June 3, 2010).[7]
Quintana Roo (Spanish pronunciation [kin'tana 'ro]), officially the Free and
Sovereign State of Quintana Roo (Spanish Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo),
is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, make up the 32 federal
entities of Mexico. It is divided into ten municipalities and its capital city is
Chetumal.

Quintana Roo is located on the eastern part of the Yucatn Peninsula and is
bordered by the states of Campeche to the west and Yucatn to the northwest, and by
the Orange Walk and Corozal districts of Belize, along with an offshore borderline
with Belize District to the south. Quintana Roo has a coastline to the east with
the Caribbean Sea and to the north with the Gulf of Mexico. It also claims
territory which gives it a small border with Guatemala in the southwest of the
state, although this disputed area is also claimed by Campeche.

Quintana Roo is the home of the city of Cancn, the islands of Cozumel and Isla
Mujeres, and the towns of Bacalar, Playa del Carmen and Akumal, as well as the
ancient Maya ruins of Chacchoben, Cob, Kohunlich, Muyil, Tulum, Xel-H, and
Xcaret. The Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve is also located in the state.

The state officially covers an area of 44,705 square kilometers (17,261 sq mi), but
since 1997 there is a boundary dispute with the states of Yucatn and Campeche over
an area of approximately 10,200 square kilometers (3,900 sq mi).[8][9]

The statewide population is expanding at a rapid rate due to the construction of

hotels and the demand for workers. Many immigrants come from Yucatn, Campeche,
Tabasco, and Veracruz. The state is frequently hit by severe hurricanes due to its
exposed location, the most recent and severe being Hurricane Dean in 2007, which
made landfall with sustained winds of 280 kmh (175 mph), with gusts up to 320 kmh
(200 mph).

On February 1, 2015, Quintana Roo officially adopted a new time zone, Southeastern,
which is five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-0500), and corresponds
to Eastern Standard Time (EST).[10] Reasons cited for the change include
coordination of air travel, banking operations, and more daylight hours, the last
of which will result in less energy usage.[10]

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Climate
3 Demographics
4 Municipalities
5 Tourism, ecotourism, and globalization
5.1 Tourism
5.2 Biotic situation of the Yucatn Peninsula
5.3 Ecosystems and animals
5.4 Avifauna
5.5 Impact
6 Education
6.1 Universities
7 Sports
8 Flora and fauna
9 Time zone
10 See also
11 Notes
12 References
13 Further reading
14 External links
History[edit]

Tulum - Temple of the Wind God

The area that makes up modern Quintana Roo was long part of Yucatn, sharing its
history. With the Caste War of Yucatn, which started in the 1840s, all non-natives
were driven from the region. The independent Maya nation of Chan Santa Cruz was
based on what is now the town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. For decades it maintained
considerable independence, having separate trade and treaty relationships with
British Honduras, now Belize.

Quintana Roo was made a territory of Mexico by decree of President Porfirio Daz on
November 24, 1902. It was named after an early patriot of the Mexican Republic,
Andrs Quintana Roo. The Mexican army succeeded in defeating most of the Maya
population of the region during the 1910s. In 1915 the area was again declared to
be legally part of the state of Yucatn.

Quintana Roo was granted statehood within the United Mexican States on October 8,
1974.[1] It is the Mexican Republic's youngest state.

Climate[edit]
According to the Kppen climate classification, much of the state has a tropical
wet and dry climate (Aw) while the island of Cozumel has a tropical monsoon climate
(Am).[11] The mean annual temperature is 26 C (78.8 F).[12] The hottest months
are April and August where the average high is 33 C (91.4 F) while January is
coldest month with an average low of 17 C (62.6 F).[12] Extreme temperatures can
range from low of 10 C (50.0 F) in the coldest months to 36 C (96.8 F) in the
hottest months.[11] Quintana Roo averages 1,300 mm (51 in) of precipitation per
year, which falls throughout the year, though June to October are the wetter
months.[12] Hurricanes can occasionally hit the coastal areas during the hurricane
season, particularly from September to November.[11]

Demographics[edit]
Historical population
Year Pop. %
1895[13]
1900
1910 9,109
1921 10,966 +20.4%
1930 10,620 -3.2%
1940 18,752 +76.6%
1950 26,967 +43.8%
1960 50,169 +86.0%
1970 88,150 +75.7%
1980 225,985 +156.4%
1990 493,277 +118.3%
1995 703,536 +42.6%
2000 874,963 +24.4%
2005 1,135,309 +29.8%
2010 1,325,578 +16.8%
2015[14] 1,501,562 +13.3%
Municipalities[edit]
Main article Municipalities of Quintana Roo
The State of Quintana Roo is divided into 11 municipalities (Spanish municipios),
each headed by a municipal president[15]

Bacalar
Benito Juarez
Othn P. Blanco
Puerto Morelos
Cozumel
Felipe Carrillo Puerto
Isla Mujeres
Solidaridad
Tulum
Jos Mara Morelos
Lzaro Crdenas
Tourism, ecotourism, and globalization[edit]
Tourism[edit]

Aerial view of Cancn

Beach of Contoy Island

Beach of Punta Sur at south at the Cozumel Island

Quintana Roo's tourist boom began in the 1970s.[16] Tourism resulted in the
development of coastal hotels and resorts, in addition to ecotourism inland and in
coastal regions, which have increased the development of the region as well as the
gross domestic product.[17] Quintana Roo ranks sixth among Mexican states according
to the United Nations Human Development index (HDI).[18]

Biotic situation of the Yucatn Peninsula[edit]

The Yucatn Peninsula is one of the most forested areas of the world in terms of
biotic mass per hectare.[16] However, anthropological, biological and governmental
experts have determined that Quintana Roo is 'facing a faunal crisis'.[16] Many
medium to large game animals are disappearing due to hunting and habitat loss.
While its population is relatively small, Quintana Roo is experiencing both a
population influx and an increase in tourism.[16][18] This only increases the
pressure on the plants and animals native to the area.

Ecosystems and animals[edit]

There are four generalized ecosystems in Quintana Rootropical forests, or jungle;
savanna, mangrove forests, and coral reefs. One of the byproducts of traditional
and large-scale agriculture is the creation of additional habitats, such as second
growth forests and fieldspastures.[19] Tourism has caused Quintana Roo to become
famous around the world in the last thirty or so years for its beaches, coastline
and cenote sinkholes.[20] Biological experts consider the coastline of Quintana Roo
one of the best manatee habitats worldwide.[21] Queen conchs are also noted for
their inhabitation of coastal territory.[21] The wide variety of biotic organisms
such as these has decreased drastically in the last fifteen years.[17][22]

Avifauna[edit]
Also affected by the loss of habitat due to both agriculture and development, birds
are one of the region's most varied animal assets.[16] Hundreds of species reside
in Quintana Roo permanently, with hundreds of others either wintering there or
using it as a stopover on the long journey into South America.[21] As a result,
many birders come to the area annually in search of the rare and unexpected.[16]

Impact[edit]

Maya ruins at Tulum

Many blame the environmental damage in Quintana Roo on either the regional
government or outside investors.[17] However, resorts and hotels in Quintana Roo