Chihuahua

:Chihuahua is the name of both a state of Mexico and that state's capital city. This article is about the state; for the city, see Chihuahua, Chihuahua. For other uses, see Chihuahua (disambiguation).

Related Topics:
Chihuahua, Chihuahua - Chihuahua (disambiguation)

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The state of Chihuahua is the largest of the 31 states of Mexico and is located in the northwestern part of the country. It has a mainland area of 244,938 km². It is largely a desert state, although there are areas of significant rainfall and green forests. In fact, Chihuahua has more forests than any other Mexican state.

Related Topics:
States of Mexico - Desert

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The state is named after its capital city, Chihuahua. The origin of the name is not known for sure, but it is old, predating the Spanish, and is thought to derive from the Nahuatl Xicuahua, or "dry, sandy place".

Related Topics:
Chihuahua - Spanish - Nahuatl

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Chihuahua stands on the U.S.-Mexico border, bounded on the north by the U.S. states of Texas and New Mexico and, to the east of Ciudad Juárez, by the Río Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande). The states of Sonora and Sinaloa border it on the west, Durango on the south, and Coahuila on the east.

Related Topics:
U.S.-Mexico border - U.S. state - Texas - New Mexico - Ciudad Juárez - Rio Grande - Sonora - Sinaloa - Durango - Coahuila

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As of 1990, there were 2.5 million inhabitants of the state. The largest city is not the capital, Chihuahua, with a half-million inhabitants, but Ciudad Juárez, with 1.5 million residents (2004 estimate). The capital was founded in 1709 by Don Antonio Deza y Ulloa.

Related Topics:
1990 - Ciudad Juárez - 2004 - 1709 - Antonio Deza y Ulloa

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Chihuahua's population is predominantly Mestizo and Creole, but includes such minority groups as the indigenous Tarahumara in the mountainous areas, as well as large rural communities of Mennonites of German origin and Anglo-American Mormon settlers (primarily in Colonia Juarez).

Related Topics:
Mestizo - Creole - Tarahumara - Mennonites - Mormon - Colonia Juarez

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Chihuahua is known for its production of apples, nuts, timber, cattle and dairy products, sheep, and nonferrous metals. Large assembly plants geared toward export across the northern border are also dominant. The town of Mata Ortiz is recognized worldwide as the center of a new pottery movement.

Related Topics:
Apple - Nut - Timber - Cattle - Dairy products - Sheep - Metal - Mata Ortiz - Pottery

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One of the most notable features of Chihuahua is the Barranca del Cobre, or Copper Canyon, a spectacular canyon system rivalling the Grand Canyon.

Related Topics:
Copper Canyon - Grand Canyon

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Chihuahua played a pivotal role in the Mexican Revolution, and was a battleground between revolutionary forces led by Pancho Villa and federal forces.

Related Topics:
Mexican Revolution - Pancho Villa

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