Coahuila

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Coahuila

Coahuila (kōäwēˈlä), state, 58,067 sq mi (150,394 sq km), N Mexico, on the northward bulge of the Rio Grande, S of Texas. Saltillo is the capital. In the eastern part of the state, where peaks of the Sierra Madre Oriental rise, are quantities of silver, copper, lead, iron, and zinc. Coahuila is an important coal-producing state and a leading national producer of iron and steel. Lumbering is important, and northeast of the mountains, in the drainage area of the Rio Grande, there is considerable cattle raising. Across W Coahuila and E Chihuahua lie vast and arid plains (some of them recently irrigated), which are broken by barren mountains; most notable of these plains is the Bolsón de Mapimí, extending into Chihuahua. South of the Bolsón is a fertile lake region, center of a vast inland basin, which absorbs rivers with no outlet to the sea. A considerable portion of the Laguna District lies in this area. Torreón is the chief metropolis. Coahuila produces cotton, corn, and grapes; the state is noted for its wines. Exploration of the territory began in the 16th cent. but was hampered by Native American hostility. After playing some part in the war against Spain, Coahuila was combined (1830) with Texas, a proceeding that caused dissatisfaction among the U.S. minority and contributed to the Texas Revolution (1835–36). During the Mexican War, Saltillo was of strategic importance, and the battle of Buena Vista was fought nearby. Joined with Nuevo León by the constitution of 1857, Coahuila regained its separate status in 1868. The revolutionary leaders Francisco I. Madero and Venustiano Carranza were born in the state.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Coahuila

a state in northeast Mexico, on the northern plateau. Area, 151,600 sq km; population, 1,141,000 (1970). The administrative center is the city of Saltillo. Beef cattle are extensively raised in Coahuila; in the Nazas and Aguanaval river basins is the La Laguna district, a large irrigated agricultural area (primarily cotton). Silver and coal (the main basin of Mexico) are mined. Coahuila has nonferrous and ferrous metallurgy, chemical, food, and textile industries, and agricultural machinery enterprises. The key industrial centers are Saltillo, Torreón, Monclova, and Sabinas.

Coahuila

a state of N Mexico: mainly plateau, crossed by several mountain ranges that contain rich mineral resources. Capital: Saltillo. Pop.: 2 295 808 (2000). Area: 151 571 sq. km (59 112 sq. miles).

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

References in periodicals archive ?

A dark cloud hangs over both the Mexico state and Coahuila gubernatorial elections, with the second-place finishers alleging that the PRI resorted to unfair electoral tactics--and outright fraud--to earn victories for its candidates.

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Vasquez was exonerated of charges in Coahuila, however he was arrested in San Antonio last year and the U.S.

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Hayatt also visited Coahuila's largest city, Torreon, where he met with its Mayor Eduardo Olmos Castro and the city's business leaders with the objective of getting investments flowing between Kuwait and the State of Coahuila.

Kuwaiti envoy visits Mexican State of Coahuila to boost ties

The gunmen arrived at the party in Torreon in several cars and opened fire without saying a word, the Coahuila state Attorney General's Office said in a statement.

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The Rio Sabinas (130 km in length) is in northeastern Coahuila, flowing from the Sierra Santa Rosa in the municipality of Melchor Muzquiz to the Venustiano Carranza Dam in the municipality of Juarez.