Isthmus of Tehuantepec

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.

Related Topics:
Isthmus - Mexico - Gulf of Mexico - Pacific Ocean

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The name comes from the town of Tehuantepec (formally, "Santo Domingo Tehuantepec") in the state of Oaxaca, which in turn comes from the Nahuatl tecuani-tepec, meaning "jaguar hill".

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Tehuantepec - Oaxaca - Nahuatl - Jaguar - Hill

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The states of Tabasco and Chiapas are east of the isthmus, with Veracruz and Oaxaca on the west. It includes that part of Mexico lying between the 94th and 96th meridians of west longitude, or the south-eastern parts of Veracruz and Oaxaca, including small areas of Chiapas and Tabasco. It is 200 km (125 miles) across at its narrowest point from gulf to gulf, or 92 km (120 miles) to the head of Laguna Superior on the Pacific coast. The Sierra Madre breaks down at this point into a broad, plateau-like ridge, whose elevation, at the highest point reached by the Tehuantepec railway (Chivela Pass), is 224 m (735 ft). The northern side of the isthmus is swampy and densely covered with jungle, which has been a greater obstacle to railway construction than the grades in crossing the sierra. The whole region is hot and malarial, except for the open elevations where the winds from the Pacific Ocean render the weather comparatively cool and healthful. The annual rainfall on the Atlantic or northern slope is 3,960 mm (156 in) and the maximum temperature about 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in the shade. The Pacific slope has a light rainfall and dryer climate.

Related Topics:
States - Tabasco - Chiapas - Isthmus - Veracruz - Oaxaca - Meridian - Longitude - Sierra Madre - Plateau - Railway - Swamp - Jungle - Malaria - Atlantic - Pacific - Climate

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