Escárcega is one of the 11 municipalities

Municipalities of Mexico

Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...

 in the Mexican

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 state of Campeche

Campeche

Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...

. The municipal seat, and largest settlement, is the city of Escárcega

Escárcega

Escárcega is a small city in the Mexican state of Campeche,located at in the central part of the state. The population of the city at the 2005 census was 27,214 people, the fourth-largest community in the state....

.

History and geography

The municipality of Escárcega borders to the north with the municipality of Champotón

Champotón

Champotón is a small city in Champotón Municipality in the Mexican state of Campeche, located at , about 60 km south of the city of Campeche where the small Champotón river meets the coast of the Gulf of Mexico...

,
to the east with the municipality of Calakmul

Calakmul (municipality)

Calakmul is a municipality in the Mexican state of Campeche, situated in the central part of the Yucatán Peninsula.-History and geography:The municipality of Calakmul borders to the east with Quintana Roo Calakmul is a municipality in the Mexican state of Campeche, situated in the central part of...

, to the south with the municipality of Candelaria

Candelaria (municipality)

Candelaria is one of the 11 municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Campeche. It is situated at the south of the state, and the municipal seat, and largest settlement, is the city of Candelaria....

, and to the west with the municipality of Carmen

Carmen (municipality)

Carmen is one of the 11 municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Campeche. It is situated at the south-west of the state, on and around the Laguna de Términos...

.

It covers 4,569.64 km², accounting for 8.0% of the state's total surface area.

The municipality was created on 1 January 1991. It took its name from its municipal seat, which was in turn named for Tlaxcala

Tlaxcala

Tlaxcala officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala is one of the 31 states which along with the Federal District comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipalities and its capital city is Tlaxcala....

n railwayman Francisco Escárcega

Francisco Escárcega

Engineer Francisco Escárcega Márquez was a builder of railroads in Mexico and fought in the Mexican Revolution. He was born in Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, and opened up areas in southern and eastern Mexico with railways. The city and municipality of Escárcega in the state of Campeche are named after him....

, who built the Ferrocarril del Sureste that runs from Coatzacoalcos, Ver.

Coatzacoalcos

Coatzacoalcos is a major port city in the southern part of the Mexican state of Veracruz, on the Coatzacoalcos River. Coatzacoalcos comes from an indigenous word meaning "Site of the Snake" or "Where the snake hides"...

, to Campeche, Camp

Campeche, Campeche

San Francisco de Campeche is the capital city of the Mexican state of Campeche, located at,...

.

Demographics

The municipality has a population of 50,106 inhabitants according to the results of the Census of Population and Housing 2005 by the National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Information, and of these 24,519 are men and 25,587 are women.

Ethnic groups

The 2005 INEGI census also reported that of the 50,106 inhabitants, 2,910 spoke one of 21 indigenous languages

Languages of Mexico

The government of Mexico recognizes 68 distinct indigenous Amerindian languages as national languages in addition to Spanish. According to the Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples and National Institute of Indigenous Languages [INALI], while 10-14% of the population identifies as...

, of which 49% spoke Ch'ol.

Populated areas

In the municipality there are a total of 223 localities, the population for the major ones are:

Location	Population
Total Municipality	50,106
Escárcega Escárcega Escárcega is a small city in the Mexican state of Campeche,located at in the central part of the state. The population of the city at the 2005 census was 27,214 people, the fourth-largest community in the state....	27,214
División del Norte	2,889
Matamoros	1,382
La Libertad	1,299
Altamira de Zináparo	1,019
Haro	1,011
Don Samuel	991
La Victoria	886
Luna	838
Centenario	830
Silvituc	802
Justicia Social	777

Transportation

Escárcega territory is a major hub of both roads and railways with these being the main driver of development in the region. Before their existence Escárcega was virtually depopulated.

Roads

The main roads connecting the municipality of Escárcega are Federal Highway 186 and Federal Highway 254. The Federal Highway 186 is the primary means of transportation and economic activity in the territory. The Federal Highway 254 is a small road that connects to 186.

Railways

The introduction of the railroad in the mid-30's was the real engine of development in the state of Campeche where the present day municipality of Escárcega lies. The railway connected the Yucatán Peninsula with the rest of the country for the first time in the Mexico's history. The railway passes through the municipality of Escárcega southwest to northeast with the main station in the municipalities seat, Escárcega. To the north it connects with the city of Campeche and then Mérida, and southward with Tenosique, Tabasco. The total length of railways in the municipality is 6769 km.

Airports

There are three airports within the municipality that serve the public which are located in Escárcega

Escárcega

Escárcega is a small city in the Mexican state of Campeche,located at in the central part of the state. The population of the city at the 2005 census was 27,214 people, the fourth-largest community in the state....

, Don Samuel, and Pancho Villa

Pancho Villa

José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....

.

External links

• Ayuntamiento de Escárcega Official website