coahuila

ESTADO DE COAHUILA

Other Mexican States

Capital

Saltillo

Other major cities

Torren
Piedras Negras
list of municipalities

Area

149,982 km
Ranked 3rd

Population
(2000 census)

2,295,800
Ranked 17th

Governor
(1999-2005)

Enrique Martnez y Martnez (PRI)

Federal Deputies (7)

PRI = 6
pending = 1

Federal Senators

PAN = 2
PRI = 1

ISO 3166-2
Postal abbr.

MX-COA
Coah.

Coahuila (formal name: Coahuila de Zaragoza) is one of Mexico's 31 component states. It is located in the north of the country. To the north Coahuila has a 512 km border with the US state of Texas. Coahuila also borders on the Mexican states of Nuevo Len to the east; San Luis Potos and Zacatecas to the south; and Durango and Chihuahua to the west. With an area of 151,571 km², it is Mexico's third biggest state. It comprises 38 municipalities (municipios). In 2000 Coahuila had an estimated population of some 2,300,000 inhabitants. The capital of Coahuila is the city of Saltillo. Coahuila also includes the cities of Monclova (a former state capital), Piedras Negras, and Torren.

History

Spanish explored the north of Mexico some decades after their victory in the capital of Aztecs, because in the north climate was harsher, they were no gold and because they were attacked by natives. In the 16th century, Mexico and Guatemala were included in the vice-royalty of New Spain which included Nueva Extremadura. Coahuila was part of Nueva Extremadura. Francisco Cano was one of the earliest Europeans to explore Nueva Extremadura. Coahuila y Tejas ("Coahuila and Texas") was one of the constituent states of the newly independent United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution. Much of the territory of Tejas seceded in 1836, to form the Republic of Texas. On February 19, 1856, Santiago Vidaurri annexed Coahuila to his state, Nuevo Len. During the Mexican Revolution, Francisco Villa attacked the city of Torren. On April 5, 2004, the city of Piedras Negras was flooded. More than 30 people died and more than 4 thousand lost their homes.