Islas Marías
Encyclopedia
The Islas Marías are an archipelago of four islands that belong to Mexico
. They are located in the Pacific Ocean
, some 100 km (62.1 mi) off the coast of the state of Nayarit
. They are part of the municipality (municipio) of San Blas, Nayarit
. As of 2011, the islands are still being used as a penal colony
, containing the Islas Marias Federal Prison
.
In 2010 the archipelago was designated Biosphere reserve
by the UNESCO
of 2005. The other islands are uninhabited. The main settlement is Puerto Balleto
, with a population of 602.
Isla María Madre, is the largest of the islands, with a surface area of 145.282 km². It houses the Islas Marías Federal Prison
which was established there in 1905. The other two islands are Isla María Magdalena (70.440 km²) and, further south, Isla María Cleofas (19.818 km²). They were named after three women called Mary
in the Biblical
New Testament
: respectively, Mary, the mother of Jesus
, Mary Magdalene
, and Mary, the wife of Cleopas. The smaller island, Isla San Juanito, with an area of 9.105 km² lies off the north coast of Isla María Madre.
The islands are listed from north to south in the following table:
The first European to discover the islands was Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, a cousin of Hernan Cortez in 1532, who gave them the name Islas Magdalenas. He found no evidence of prior habitation by the native americans
.
In addition to prisoners, on Maria Madre island there are employees of diverse institutions of the federal government, such as the Secretariat of Public Education, the Secretariat of the Environment, the Secretariat of Communications and Transport, post office
, and the Secretariat of the Navy. Another group of settlers is made up of religious ministers and acolytes of the Catholic Church, nuns of the Order of Social Service, and invited teachers, technicians and their relatives.
The colony is governed by a state official who is both the governor of the islands and chief judge. The military command is independent and is exercised by an officer of the Mexican Navy.
Each populated center features a different economic activity. The primary population center is Puerto Balleto
, the location of the administrative offices and the primary centers of commerce and recreation. It is subdivided into four jefaturashttp://www.cambioenlinea.com/detallea.php?id=10881&fecha=21.08.2006:
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...
. They are located in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, some 100 km (62.1 mi) off the coast of the state of Nayarit
Nayarit
Nayarit officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.It is located in Western Mexico...
. They are part of the municipality (municipio) of San Blas, Nayarit
San Blas, Nayarit
San Blas is both a municipality and municipal seat located on the Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Nayarit.-City:San Blas is a port and a popular tourist destination, located about 100 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, and 40 miles west of the state capital Tepic. The town has a population of...
. As of 2011, the islands are still being used as a penal colony
Penal colony
A penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
, containing the Islas Marias Federal Prison
Islas Marías Federal Prison
The Islas Marías Federal Penal Colony is a penitentiary establishment of the Federal Government of Mexico, administered through the Federal Secretariat of Public Security...
.
In 2010 the archipelago was designated Biosphere reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
by the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Geography
The islands have an aggregate area of 244.970 km². 1116 people lived on Isla María Madre as of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2005. The other islands are uninhabited. The main settlement is Puerto Balleto
Puerto Balleto, Islas Marías
Puerto Balleto is a town in the municipality of San Blas, Nayarit, located in Isla María Madre, the largest of Islas Marías archipelago.Is also the main and largest settlement of the Islas Marías Federal Prison, its population reaches up to 602 inhabitants and includes the administrative offices...
, with a population of 602.
Isla María Madre, is the largest of the islands, with a surface area of 145.282 km². It houses the Islas Marías Federal Prison
Islas Marías Federal Prison
The Islas Marías Federal Penal Colony is a penitentiary establishment of the Federal Government of Mexico, administered through the Federal Secretariat of Public Security...
which was established there in 1905. The other two islands are Isla María Magdalena (70.440 km²) and, further south, Isla María Cleofas (19.818 km²). They were named after three women called Mary
Mary (given name)
Mary is a feminine given name, the English form of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Both New Testament names were forms of the Hebrew name מִרְיָם or Miryam.The usual meaning given by various...
in the Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
: respectively, Mary, the mother of Jesus
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
, and Mary, the wife of Cleopas. The smaller island, Isla San Juanito, with an area of 9.105 km² lies off the north coast of Isla María Madre.
The islands are listed from north to south in the following table:
| Island or Rock | Areakm² | Heightm | Location Geographic coordinate system A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represent vertical position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal position... |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Juanito | 9.105 | . | 21°44′48"N 106°40′41"W |
| Piedra El Morro | 0.060 | . | 21°44′17"N 106°42′11"W |
| María Madre | 145.282 | 616 | 21°36′57"N 106°34′42"W |
| Isla Don Boni | 0.025 | . | 21°32′30"N 106°32′00"W |
| María Magdalena | 70.440 | 457 | 21°27′44"N 106°25′48"W |
| María Cleofas | 19.818 | 402 | 21°18′44"N 106°14′51"W |
| Piedra Blanca | 0.172 | . | 21°19′01"N 106°17′09"W |
| Roca Blanca | 0.034 | . | 21°17′44"N 106°16′07"W |
| Unnamed Rock | 0.034 | . | 21°17′52"N 106°16′35"W |
| Islas Marías | 244.970 | 616 | 21°32′N 106°28′W |
The first European to discover the islands was Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, a cousin of Hernan Cortez in 1532, who gave them the name Islas Magdalenas. He found no evidence of prior habitation by the native americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.
In addition to prisoners, on Maria Madre island there are employees of diverse institutions of the federal government, such as the Secretariat of Public Education, the Secretariat of the Environment, the Secretariat of Communications and Transport, post office
Servicio Postal Mexicano
Correos de México is the national postal service of Mexico.- Overview :On February 17, 1907 the president of Mexico Porfirio Diaz founded the "Palacio Postal" also known as the "Quinta Casa de Correos" .But Mexico had had a postal service since 1580...
, and the Secretariat of the Navy. Another group of settlers is made up of religious ministers and acolytes of the Catholic Church, nuns of the Order of Social Service, and invited teachers, technicians and their relatives.
The colony is governed by a state official who is both the governor of the islands and chief judge. The military command is independent and is exercised by an officer of the Mexican Navy.
Populated places
All populated places of the Islas Marías are on Isla María Madre. They are listed from north to south in the following table:| Populated Place | Population (Census Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common... 2005) |
Location Geographic coordinate system A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represent vertical position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal position... |
|---|---|---|
| Punta el Morro | - | 21°41′45"N 106°39′19"W |
| Venustiano Carranza (Serradero, Aserradero) | - | 21°40′45"N 106°36′45"W |
| Campamento Cica (Bugambilias) | 190 | 21°40′15"N 106°37′45"W |
| Campamento Nayarit | 51 | 21°39′00"N 106°32′20"W |
| Campamento Rehilete | 71 | 21°38′44"N 106°32′29"W |
| Puerto Balleto Puerto Balleto, Islas Marías Puerto Balleto is a town in the municipality of San Blas, Nayarit, located in Isla María Madre, the largest of Islas Marías archipelago.Is also the main and largest settlement of the Islas Marías Federal Prison, its population reaches up to 602 inhabitants and includes the administrative offices... (Isla María Madre) |
602 | 21°37′58"N 106°32′21"W |
| Zacatal | - | 21°37′44"N 106°35′26"W |
| Camarón | - | 21°37′26"N 106°37′55"W |
| Campamento Hospital (Veinte de Noviembre) | 53 | 21°37′34"N 106°31′55"W |
| Las Antenas | 2 | 21°37′15"N 106°36′18"W |
| Campamento Morelos (José María Morelos) | 98 | 21°36′04"N 106°30′47"W |
| Campamento San Juan Papelillo | 18 | 21°35′30"N 106°36′26"W |
| Borbollón (Borbollones) | - | 21°34′15"N 106°31′00"W |
| Campamento Laguna del Toro | 31 | 21°34′08"N 106°32′37"W |
| Punta Halcones | - | 21°32′45"N 106°32′30"W |
| Isla María Madre | 1116 | 21°36′57"N 106°34′42"W |
Each populated center features a different economic activity. The primary population center is Puerto Balleto
Puerto Balleto, Islas Marías
Puerto Balleto is a town in the municipality of San Blas, Nayarit, located in Isla María Madre, the largest of Islas Marías archipelago.Is also the main and largest settlement of the Islas Marías Federal Prison, its population reaches up to 602 inhabitants and includes the administrative offices...
, the location of the administrative offices and the primary centers of commerce and recreation. It is subdivided into four jefaturashttp://www.cambioenlinea.com/detallea.php?id=10881&fecha=21.08.2006:
- Balleto, 21°38′02"N 106°32′21"W
- Bellavista, 21°38′19"N 106°32′30"W
- Unit Habitacional Miguel Hidalgo (UHMH), 21°38′13"N 106°32′26"W
- Primero de Mayo, 21°38′20"N 106°32′23"W