Melchor Ocampo is a municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 located in the Mexican state of Nuevo León

Nuevo León

Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...

. It is named after Don Melchor Ocampo

Melchor Ocampo

Melchor Ocampo was a Mexican lawyer, scientist, and liberal politician.His home state was renamed Michoacán de Ocampo in his honour.-Studies:...

, who was Foreign Minister during the government of Benito Juárez

Benito Juárez

Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...

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Location

The municipality of Melchor Ocampo is located in the northeastern part of the state. Its coordinates are: 25º03´ N and 99º33´ W, and it is 145 meters over sea level. It limits with the following municipalities: To the north with General Treviño

General Treviño

The municipality of General Treviño originated from a ranch named “El Puntiagudo” that was given to Don Juan Baptista Chapa, 14 January 1688. Don Francisco Chapa made the foundation in 1705. Its erection in the villa was verified the 9th of December 1868, being Governor of the State again Leon,...

; to the south with Los Herreras

Los Herreras

Los Herrera is a municipality in the Mexican State of Nuevo León and also the name of its seat of government and main population center. Los Herreras is at 281 meters above sea level and is located in the east-central part of the state...

; to the east with Los Aldamas

Los Aldamas

Los Aldamas is a municipality located in the northeast part of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. Its geographic coordinates are . It is bordered to the north by the state of Tamaulipas, to the south with the municipalities of Doctor Coss and China, Nuevo Leon, to the east with the municipality of Dr...

; and to the west with Cerralvo

Cerralvo

Cerralvo is a municipality situated in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. Cerralvo is located in the northeastern region of Nuevo León, in the Gulf Coastal Plain and in the northeastern agricultural and ranching economic zone that also includes the municipalities of Agualeguas, General Treviño,...

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Climate

A semi-arid climate with extreme temperatures in winter and summer. In summer, average daily low temperature is 24°C and average daily high is 40 °C. June, July and August are the hottest months. Average annual rainfall is 600mm. Wind currents tend to come from the south in summer and the north in winter.

Population

According to the 1990 federal census, the municipality had a population of 1,641 and a density of 7 Inhab./km². The census showed 834 males and 807 females in the population. There was 1 native language speaker, representing 0.09% of the total population in the municipality.

The 2000 federal census showed a decline in population, with 1,215 inhabitants inhabitants, of which 631 were male and 584 female.

Population Centers

The municipality seat of government, also named Melchor Ocampo with a population of 1,100 is the largest. Other population centers include: Sócrates Rizo, La Coma, El Reparo, La Paloma, Loma Blanca, El Orégano.

History

Melchor Ocampo, N.L., was founded by the Spanish settlers Juan de Benavides and Napoleón de García in 1702. They named the foundation “Charco Redondo”.

Melchor Ocampo obtained the category of municipality by state decree on October 20, 1948.