Nayarit

[nah-yah-reet]

Nayarit, state (1990 pop. 824,643), 10,547 sq mi (27,317 sq km), W Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean. Tepic is the capital. Mostly wild and rugged, Nayarit is broken by western spurs of the Sierra Madre Occidental. In the northeast are broad, tropical plains watered by the Santiago River, a continuation of the Lerma. Nayarit has two volcanoes, Ceboruco and Sangangüey. The volcanic soil, heavy rains, and altitude variations permit the cultivation of a variety of products of tropical and temperate agriculture—grain, sugarcane, cotton, coffee, and tobacco. Cattle raising is also important. Forest wealth, little exploited in the past, is rapidly being developed. With large deposits of lead, copper, silver, and gold, mining is a significant part of the state's economy. The coastal swamps are noted bird refuges. The Nayarit region was known to the Spanish early in the 16th cent., and one of its towns, Compostela (near Tepic), was the first capital of Nueva Galicia. Spain did not finally conquer the area until the early 17th cent. Shortly afterward, Nayarit became a dependency of Guadalajara and, upon Mexican independence, part of Jalisco. Continued turbulence led to Nayarit's separation as a territory in 1884; it became a state in 1917. The name Nayarit is given to pre-Columbian clay figurines that are found in the vicinity.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Nayarit

State (pop., 2000: 920,185), west-central Mexico. It covers an area of 10,417 sq mi (26,979 sq km), and its capital is Tepic. The Sierra Madre rises steeply from the Pacific littoral and cuts the terrain into gorges and valleys. Peaks include the volcanoes Ceboruco and Sangangüey. The coastal lagoons are well-known bird refuges. The main river, Grande de Santiago, flowing from Lake Chapala, is sometimes considered a continuation of the Lerma River. The economy is primarily based on agriculture.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

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, Santiago Ixcuintla, 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.

Geography

Nayarit covers , making it one of the smaller states of Mexico. Nayarit is located between latitude lines 23°05' north and 20°36' south and longitude lines 103°43' east and 105°46' west. 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 Río Grande de Santiago, a continuation of the Lerma River. The main state rivers are the Río Grande de 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

Tepic is home to the Catedral de la Purisma Concepcion or Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Education

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.

Economy

Nayarit depends heavily on natural resources and agriculture to support their economy. 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. There is also a fishing industry in Nayarit, but it is not as major as the mining or agricultural industries.