Municipality of Tulum
Encyclopedia
Tulum is one of the ten municipalities
that make up the Mexican
state of Quintana Roo
. It became one of the newest municipalities in the country when it was formed on March 13, 2008 as a result of its separation from Solidaridad Municipality
.
Tulum is home to the Maya
archaeological sites of Tulum, and Cobá
.
to the north and Felipe Carrillo Puerto
to the south, in the state of Quintana Roo
. It also borders Chemax Municipality and Valladolid Municipality in the state of Yucatán
on the northwest, and the Caribbean Sea
on the east.
Tulum is entirely flat with a gentle slope towards the sea, so from west to east, the area never reaches a higher altitude than 25 meters above sea level . The municipality is five meters above sea level on average.
Like the rest of the peninsula's
surface the land has a limestone
base that does not allow the formation of surface water flows such as rivers and streams; the water instead flows in underground rivers that sometimes rise to the surface in the cenotes
. Lakes and cenotes
are the major bodies of water in the municipality.
, which lies mostly in neighboring Felipe Carrillo Puerto Municipality
). The largest localities (cities, towns, and villages) are:
Municipalities of Quintana Roo
The Mexican State of Quintana Roo is made up of 10 municipalities : Tulum and Bacalar are the newest municipalities. The state was created from the Quintana Roo Territory in 1974 with seven municipios. Solidaridad was formed in 1993 by act of the Congress of Quintana Roo. Tulum was split off from...
that make up 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 Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
. It became one of the newest municipalities in the country when it was formed on March 13, 2008 as a result of its separation from Solidaridad Municipality
Solidaridad, Quintana Roo
Solidaridad is one of the ten municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is also one of the youngest municipalities in the country and was formed on July 28 of 1993 by decree of the State Congress during the administration of Mario Villanueva Madrid...
.
Tulum is home to the Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
archaeological sites of Tulum, and Cobá
Coba
Coba is a large ruined city of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is located about 90 km east of the Maya site of Chichen Itza, about 40 km west of the Caribbean Sea, and 44 km northwest of the site of Tulum, with which it is...
.
Geography
The municipality of Tulum borders the municipalities of SolidaridadSolidaridad, Quintana Roo
Solidaridad is one of the ten municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is also one of the youngest municipalities in the country and was formed on July 28 of 1993 by decree of the State Congress during the administration of Mario Villanueva Madrid...
to the north and Felipe Carrillo Puerto
Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo
See also Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Oaxaca, for the town in Oaxaca.Felipe Carrillo Puerto or simply Carrillo Puerto is the name of a municipality for which the city of the same name serves its the municipal seat. The municipality is located south-central part of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It...
to the south, in the state of Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
. It also borders Chemax Municipality and Valladolid Municipality in the state of Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
on the northwest, and the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
on the east.
Orography and hydrography
Like most of the Yucatan PeninsulaYucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
Tulum is entirely flat with a gentle slope towards the sea, so from west to east, the area never reaches a higher altitude than 25 meters above sea level . The municipality is five meters above sea level on average.
Like the rest of the peninsula's
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
surface the land has a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
base that does not allow the formation of surface water flows such as rivers and streams; the water instead flows in underground rivers that sometimes rise to the surface in the cenotes
Cenote
A cenote is a deep natural pit, or sinkhole, characteristic of Mexico and Central America, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath...
. Lakes and cenotes
Cenote
A cenote is a deep natural pit, or sinkhole, characteristic of Mexico and Central America, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath...
are the major bodies of water in the municipality.
Population
Tulum has 28,263 inhabitants according to the 2010 census, a figure that has more than doubled in the last five years. There is an additional 15,000 to 20,000 people living and working in Tulum as part of its floating population. That number rises and falls with the tourist season and is not reflected in the census figures.Communities
The municipality consists of 170 populated localities, plus an additional 224 unpopulated localities, and includes part of a biosphere reserve (Sian Ka'anSian Ka'an
Sian Ka'an is a non profit and non governmental organization biosphere reserve formed by a group of conservationists in the municipality of Tulum in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, whose mission is the conservation of the biodiversity...
, which lies mostly in neighboring Felipe Carrillo Puerto Municipality
Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo
See also Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Oaxaca, for the town in Oaxaca.Felipe Carrillo Puerto or simply Carrillo Puerto is the name of a municipality for which the city of the same name serves its the municipal seat. The municipality is located south-central part of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It...
). The largest localities (cities, towns, and villages) are:
| Name | 2010 Census Population |
|---|---|
| Tulum Tulum, Quintana Roo Tulum is the largest community in the municipality of Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is located on the Caribbean coast of the state, near the site of the archaeological ruins of Tulum... |
18,233 |
| Ciudad Chemuyil | 1,377 |
| Akumal Akumal Akumal is a small beach-front tourist resort community south of Cancún, between the towns of Playa del Carmen and Tulum. It is located in Tulum Municipality in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico... |
1,310 |
| Cobá Coba Coba is a large ruined city of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is located about 90 km east of the Maya site of Chichen Itza, about 40 km west of the Caribbean Sea, and 44 km northwest of the site of Tulum, with which it is... |
1,278 |
| Chanchen Primero | 875 |
| Francisco Uh May | 655 |
| San Juan | 599 |
| Macario Gómez | 510 |
| Chanchén Palmar | 469 |
| Javier Rojo Gómez (Punta Allen) Punta Allen Punta Allen is the largest village in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve at the end of the Boca Paila peninsula in Tulum Municipality in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo... |
469 |
| Sahcab Mucuy | 456 |
| Manuel Antonio Ay | 407 |
| Hondzonot | 368 |
| Yaxché | 335 |
| Total Municipality | 28,263 |