Quintana Roo

Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states that make up Mexico, along with Mexico City. Its capital is Chetumal, and it is divided into 11 municipalities. The state sits on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula, bordering Campeche to the west, Yucatán to the northwest, and districts of Belize to the south.

Quintana Roo has a beautiful coastline along the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the north. It is home to popular tourist spots like Cancún, the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, and towns such as Playa del Carmen and Akumal. The area also features ancient Maya ruins like Tulum and Xcaret, as well as the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve.

Because of its location, Quintana Roo often faces strong hurricanes. One of the most powerful was Hurricane Dean in 2007. The state's population is growing quickly, with many people moving there for jobs in hotels and tourism.

History

Archaeological findings

Ancient human remains have been found in underwater caves near Tulum. These discoveries include some of the oldest human bones found in the Americas. In 2016, explorers found the skeleton of a woman who lived at least 9,900 years ago. Scientists think she faced many hardships in her life.

These discoveries show that different groups of people lived in Mexico during a time when Earth’s history was changing from the Pleistocene to the Holocene.

Geography

Quintana Roo is found on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. It shares borders with the states of Campeche to the west and Yucatán to the northwest, and with parts of Belize to the south.

The area has a warm climate, with average temperatures around 26 °C (78.8 °F). It gets about 1,300 mm (51 in) of rain each year, mostly from June to October. Some coastal areas can sometimes feel the effects of hurricanes, especially between September and November.

Quintana Roo is home to many different plants and animals. The region includes tropical forests, savannas, mangrove forests, and coral reefs. Birds from many places live there or stop by during their travels. However, some animals are disappearing because of hunting and loss of their homes due to growth and tourism.

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1895		—
1900		—
1910	9,109	—
1921	10,966	+20.4%
1930	10,620	−3.2%
1940	18,752	+76.6%
1950	26,967	+43.8%
1960	50,169	+86.0%
1970	88,150	+75.7%
1980	225,985	+156.4%
1990	493,277	+118.3%
1995	703,536	+42.6%
2000	874,963	+24.4%
2005	1,135,309	+29.8%
2010	1,325,578	+16.8%
2015	1,501,562	+13.3%
2020	1,857,985	+23.7%

Largest cities or towns in Quintana Roo Source:
Rank		Municipality	Pop.
1	Cancún	Benito Juárez	888,797
2	Playa del Carmen	Solidaridad	304,942
3	Chetumal	Othón P. Blanco	169,028
4	San Miguel de Cozumel	Cozumel	84,519
5	Tulum	Tulum	33,374
6	Felipe Carrillo Puerto	Felipe Carrillo Puerto	30,754
7	Puerto Aventuras	Solidaridad	22,878
8	Alfredo V. Bonfil	Benito Juárez	19,789
9	Puerto Morelos	Puerto Morelos	19,205
10	Jose María Morelos	Jose María Morelos	13,332

Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Quintana Roo

The state of Quintana Roo is divided into 11 municipalities (Spanish: municipios). Each municipality is led by a municipal president. The municipalities are:

Tourism

Quintana Roo became a popular tourist spot in the 1970s. Many hotels and resorts were built along the coast, and people also started enjoying nature trips in the forests and beaches. This helped the area grow and become wealthier. Quintana Roo is one of the top states in Mexico for quality of life.

The Riviera Maya is a famous stretch of coastline along the Caribbean Sea. Popular places here include Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Akumal, the Hotel Zone, and the island of Cozumel.

Visitors can also explore many old buildings made by the Maya people, such as Chacchoben, Coba, Kohunlich, Muyil, San Gervasio, Tulum, Xcaret, Xelha, and Yo'okop.

People love Quintana Roo for its beautiful beaches, green forests, and ancient ruins. But growing too fast can sometimes hurt the environment and make life harder for local people.

Education

Quintana Roo has several universities where students can study. Some of these include the Instituto Tecnológico de Cancún in Cancún, the Instituto Tecnológico de Chetumal in Chetumal, and the University of Quintana Roo in Chetumal. Other schools are located in places like José María Morelos, Playa del Carmen, and Cancún, offering many options for learning and growth.

Media

Quintana Roo has several newspapers. Some of these newspapers include Diario de Quintana Roo, Diario Respuesta, El Periódico de Quintana Roo, El Quintanarroense, Novedades de Quintana Roo, and Por Esto!. These papers share news and stories from the area.

Sports

Cancún has exciting sports teams! There is a soccer club called Atlante F.C. that moved to Cancún in 2007 but plans to return to Mexico City. They now play in a smaller league called Liga de Expansión MX at Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo.

The city also has a professional baseball team named the Quintana Roo Tigers. They started playing in Cancún in 2006 at Estadio de Béisbol Beto Ávila. In 2009, they reached the big championship but did not win.

Time zone

On February 1, 2015, Quintana Roo changed to a new time zone called Southeastern Time, which is five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−05:00). Unlike some places, Quintana Roo does not change its clocks for daylight saving time, so the time stays the same all year. This new time matches Eastern Standard Time in the winter and Central Daylight Time in the summer.

The change happened for economic reasons. It helps tourists in popular spots like Cancún, Cozumel, and Playa del Carmen enjoy more time at beaches, restaurants, and historic sites. It also helps save electricity at hotels and other places. Before this change, Quintana Roo used to follow the Central time zone.