a state in Mexico, in the southern part of the Meseta Central, in the Lerma and Balsas basins. Area, 59,900 sq km. Population, 2,324,000 (1970). The administrative center is Morelia.
The principal branch of the economy is agriculture. Cotton, sugarcane, peanuts, and vegetables are grown on irrigated land, and tropical fruits are cultivated along the lower reaches of the Balsas. Around Uruapan there are coffee plantations, and maize and beans are raised in the hills. There is fishing in lakes Chapala, Pátzcuaro, and Cuitzeo. Michoacán has food-processing, wood-products, and textile industries.