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The Gulf of Mexico coast Mexico's eastern coast is a semi tropical area. The northern part might be included in the northern region and is also arid. The southern region is better watered with rivers running down from the central highlands. Mexico's major port is located here--Veracruz. It is where Cortez landed to begin the conquest of Mexico. It is the shortest point inland to Mexico City. The Gulf Coast of Mexico extends along the Gulf of Mexico from the border with the United States at Matamoros to the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula at Cancún. We include the Yucatan bit around Campeche known as the Bay of Campeche in the Yucatan region. Major cities include Veracruz, Tampico, and Coatzacoalcos. The states include Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Tabasco. Most of that stretch is the approximately 400-mile elongated, but narrow cresant state of Veracruz. In the pre-Colombian times, the region was inhabited by minor tribes. Most of the great Amer-Indian civilization were located in the Central Highlands. Civilization first appeared in this area, however, with the Olmecs, presumably because of the river valley conditions. Agriculture which was the basis of the economy was different than in the central highlands because of the semi-tropical conditions. The coast is largely low sandy stretches broken by tidewater streams and lagoons fed by rivers running down from the central highlands. The flat coastal area rises sharply inland as one moves west into the Sierra Madre Oriental. Here we see valleys covered by dense tropical rain forest until we get into the central highlands. Citlaltépetl (Orizaba Peak) is Mexico’s highest mountain (18,406 feet). It is situated at the collision of the Sierra Madre highlands and the Cordillera Neo-Volcánica. There are some 40 rivers and tributaries provide water for both irrigation and hydroelectric power. The rich silt carried down by rivers from the Central Highlands deposited in the valleys and coastal areas make the area a productive agricultural region. Veracruz city was Mexico's most imprtant port and as a result the most cosmopolitan city in the country. The most important industry, however, is the petroleum industry. There are important resources along the coast and offshore. Mexico's limitation on foreign participation, however, has limited development. As a result, the country has to import huge quantities of natural gas from the United States.
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