Quintana Roo

Quintana Roo (kēntä`nä rō`ō), state (1990 pop. 493,277), 19,630 sq mi (50,842 sq km), SE Mexico, on the Caribbean. Chetumal is the capital. Occupying most of the eastern part of the Yucatán peninsula, the state was, until recently, wild, sparsely settled, and populated almost entirely by the Maya. In recent years large areas have been cleared for farming and pasture, and the coast has been developed for resorts. It has a hot climate and high rainfall. The economy is dominated by tourism. The resorts of Cancún and Cozumel are leading international vacation spots. Along the Caribbean coast is the famous Mayan archaeological zone of Tulúm as well as the lare Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. The flat plain with its almost impenetrable ebony and cedar forests and the resistance of the Maya forced Francisco de Montejo to abandon his attempt (1527–28) to conquer Yucatán from the east. Scandalous episodes involving the wholesale purchase of Mayas for what amounted to slave labor in the chicle plantations tarnished the history of the territory in the late 19th and early 20th cent.

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Quintana Roo

State (pop., 2000: 874,963), eastern Yucatán Peninsula, southeastern Mexico. It has an area of 19,397 sq mi (50,212 sq km), and its capital is Chetumal. The region was used as a place of exile for political prisoners for many years. Originally created as a territory from parts of Yucatán and Campeche states, it became a state in 1974. It is the site of many Maya ruins. Its main products are chicle (for chewing gum) and a small amount of copra (for producing coconut oil); the latter is produced on the coast near the island of Cozumel (where Hernán Cortés landed in 1519), which is now a popular tourist destination.

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Quintana Roo

a state of SE Mexico, on the E Yucat?n Peninsula: hot, humid, forested, and inhabited chiefly by Maya Indians. Capital: Chetumal. Pop.: 287 000 (2005 est.). Area: 50 350 sq. km (19 463 sq. miles)

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Quintana Roo 

a territory in Mexico, in the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. Area, 42,000 sq km. Population, 91,000 (1970). Its administrative center is Ciudad Chetumal. The territory is covered by tropical forests. It is a region of slash-and-burn agriculture (corn and beans). Forest industries, especially the collection of chicle sap for chewing gum, are also important. Timber is cut in the basin of the Hondo River in Quintana Roo and floated downstream.