Coordinates:

Baja California
Flag Seal
Country	Mexico
Capital	Mexicali
Municipalities	5
Largest City	Tijuana
Government
- Governor	Eugenio Elorduy Walther (PAN)
- Federal Deputies	PAN: 8
- Federal Senators	Alejandro González (PAN) Rafael Díaz (PAN) Fernando Castro (PRI)
Area Ranked 12th
- State	69921 km  (0 sq mi)
Population (2005)
- State	2,844,469 (Ranked 14th)
HDI (2004)	0.8233 - high Ranked 7th
ISO 3166-2	MX-BCN
Postal abbr.	B.C.
Website: State government

Baja California (English: Lower California) is the northernmost state of Mexico. It is sometimes informally referred to as Baja California Norte^[1], to distinguish it from both the Baja California peninsula, of which it forms the northern half, and Baja California Sur, the adjacent state that covers the southern half of the peninsula. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California. It has an area of 71,576 km² (about 27,600 sq mi, or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico). The state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by Sonora, the U.S. State of Arizona, and the Sea of Cortez or Gulf of California, and on the south by Baja California Sur. Its northern limit is the U.S.-Mexico border, adjacent to the U.S. state of California.

The state has a population of 2,844,469 (2005 census), much more than the sparsely populated Baja California Sur to the south. Over 75% of the population lives in the capital city, Mexicali, or in Tijuana. Both these cities are close to the U.S. border. Other important cities include Ensenada, San Felipe, and Playas de Rosarito and Tecate. Baja California is not entirely European (white) as in most of the northern Mexican states. The population includes large numbers of Mestizo and other large minority groups such as, East Asian, Middle Eastern, African and Indigenous descent. Additionally, there are large immigrant populations from the United States and Central America due to its proximity to San Diego, cheaper cost of living compared to San Diego, and the number of higher paying jobs in comparison to the rest of Mexico and Latin America.

The state's inhabitants are known as "Cachanillas," after the wild cachanilla plant which has a fresh aroma and was used by the original inhabitants to make huts. Originally, the term "Cachanillas" was applied only to the inhabitants of the Mexicali Valley, although there are tales of the term being used for inhabitants of Santa Rosalía in Baja California Sur. Composer Antonio Valdéz Herrera's work "Puro Cachanilla" (Pure Cachanilla) has made use of the term more common.

Notes:

History

The first humans came to the peninsula at least 11,000 years ago, probably following the Pacific coast down from Alaska. At the time of European contact, two main native groups were present on the peninsula. In the south were the Cochimí. In the north were several groups belonging to the Yuman linguistic family, including the Kiliwa, Paipai, Kumeyaay, Cocopa, and Quechan. These peoples were diverse in their adaptations to the region. The Cochimí of the peninsula's Central Desert were generalized hunter-gatherers who moved frequently; however, the Cochimí on Cedros Island off the west coast had developed a strongly maritime economy. The Kiliwa, Paipai, and Kumeyaay in the better-watered northwest were also hunter-gatherers, but that region supported denser populations and more sedentary lifeways. The Cocopa and Quechan of northeastern Baja California practiced agriculture in the floodplain of the lower Colorado River.

Europeans reached the present state of Baja California in 1539, when Francisco de Ulloa reconnoitered its east coast on the Gulf of California and explored the peninsula's west coast at least as far north as Cedros Island. Hernando de Alarcón returned to the east coast and ascended the lower Colorado River in 1540, and Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo completed the reconnaissance of the west coast in 1542. Sebastián Vizcaíno again surveyed the west coast in 1602, but outside visitors during the following century were few.

The Jesuits founded a permanent mission colony on the peninsula at Loreto in 1697. During the following decades, they gradually extended their sway throughout the present state of Baja California Sur. In 1751-1753, the Croatian Jesuit mission-explorer Ferdinand Konščak made overland explorations northward into the state of Baja California. Jesuit missions were subsequently established among the Cochimí at Santa Gertrudis (1752), San Borja (1762), and Santa María (1767).

After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1768, the short-lived Franciscan administration (1768-1773) resulted in one new mission at San Fernando Velicatá. More importantly, the 1769 expedition to settle Alta California under Gaspar de Portolà and Junípero Serra resulted in the first overland exploration of the northwestern portion of the state.

The Dominicans took over management of the Baja California missions from the Franciscans in 1773. They established a chain of new missions among the northern Cochimí and western Yumans, first on the coast and subsequently inland, extending from El Rosario (1774) to Descanso (1817), just south of Tijuana.

Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

• 1804: The Spanish colony of California is divided into Alta ("upper") and Baja ("lower") California at the line separating the Franciscan missions in the north from the Dominican missions in the south.
• 1848: Alta California is annexed by the United States.
• 1853: Soldier of fortune William Walker captures La Paz, declaring himself President of the Republic of Lower California. The Mexican government forces his retreat after several months.
• 1905: The Magonista revolutionary movement begins.
• 1911: Mexicali and Tijuana are captured by the Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM), but soon surrender to Federal forces.
• 1930: Baja California is further divided into Northern and Southern territories.
• 1952: The North Territory of Baja California becomes the 29th state of Mexico, Baja California. The southern portion, below 28°N, remains a federally administered territory.
• 1974: The South Territory of Baja California becomes the 31st state, Baja California Sur.
• 1989: Ernesto Ruffo Appel of the PAN becomes the first non-PRI governor of Baja California and the first opposition governor of any state since the Revolution.

Demographics

The racial make-up of the state is; 46% White/European, 40% Mestizo (Mixed Amerindian and European), 9% Asian (predominantly Chinese), and the remaining 5% is mainly composed by Amerindians, Black Africans and US Citizens.

Municipalities

Baja California is subdivided into five municipios (municipalities). See municipalities of Baja California.

• Ensenada
• Mexicali
• Tecate
• Tijuana
• Playas de Rosarito

Education

• See .

Economy

• Industries
• Tourism
• Manufacturing
• Exports
• Imports
• Fishing

See also

• Spanish missions in present–day Baja California
• History of the west coast of North America
• Aztec Brewing Company
• Baja California Starburst

External links

• (English) State government
• (Spanish) State government.
• (Spanish) Towns, cities, and postal codes in Baja California.
• (English) The peninsulas portal Baja California, Mexico.
• Scuba diving in Baja CaliforniaBaja Diving

	Baja California Mexicali, capital
Municipalities	Ensenada | Mexicali | Tecate | Tijuana | Playas de Rosarito
Cities	Ensenada | Mexicali | Playas de Rosarito | Tecate | Tijuana

•  • [ e] States of Mexico
Aguascalientes Baja California Baja California Sur Campeche Chiapas Chihuahua Coahuila Colima Durango Distrito Federal Guanajuato Guerrero Hidalgo Jalisco Mxico Michoacn Morelos Nayarit Nuevo Len Oaxaca Puebla Quertaro Quintana Roo San Luis Potos Sinaloa Sonora Tabasco Tamaulipas Tlaxcala Veracruz Yucatn Zacatecas