Photo Index - Stillpoint Press Home Page

Alex Brumbaugh Photography

Baja Photo Index

Baja California Norte

Baja California (literally "lower California" in Spanish) is comprised of two States - Baja California Norte and Baja California Sur. Baja California Norte is the northernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the Territory of Baja California Norte. It has an area of 71,576 km2 (about 27,600 mi2, or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico. The state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by Sonora and the Sea of Cortez or Gulf of California, and on the south by Baja California Sur. Its northern limit is the U.S.-Mexico border, adjacent to the U.S. state of California.

The state has a population of 2,750,000 (2003 estimate), much more than the sparsely populated Baja California Sur to the south. Over 75% of the population lives in the capital city, Mexicali, or the most populous city in the state, and in Tijuana. Both these cities are close to the U.S. border. Other important cities include Ensenada, San Felipe, and Playas de Rosarito y Tecate.

The state's inhabitants are known as "Cachanillas," after the wild cachanilla plant which has a fresh aroma and was used by the original inhabitants to make huts. The first Mestizo colonies used these materials with dried mud. Originally, the term "Cachanillas" was applied only to the inhabitants of the Mexicali Valley, although there are tales of the term being used for inhabitants of Santa Rosalía in Baja California Sur. Author Antonio Valdéz Herrera's work "Puro Canchanilla" (Pure Canchanilla) has made use of the term more common. (quoted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia)