States in the region
Four states front the Gulf of Mexico between the Rio Grande and the Yucatán Peninsula. Together they hold 14,921,275 people on 234,313 km², about 12 per cent of Mexico's population on 12 per cent of its land. Veracruz alone is the fourth most populous state in the country.
| State | Capital | Population (2020) | Area km² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamaulipas | Ciudad Victoria | 3,527,735 | 80,249 |
| Veracruz | Xalapa | 8,062,579 | 71,826 |
| Tabasco | Villahermosa | 2,402,598 | 24,731 |
| Campeche | Campeche | 928,363 | 57,507 |
Geography
The Gulf coastal plain runs about 1,500 km from Matamoros to the Laguna de Términos. It is widest in Tamaulipas and Tabasco and narrowest in central Veracruz, where the Sierra Madre Oriental closes to within 80 km of the sea. That pinch point carries Mexico's highest ground: Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl, reaches 5,636 m on the Veracruz–Puebla border and is visible from the coast on clear winter mornings. Cofre de Perote (4,282 m) stands behind Xalapa, and the isolated Los Tuxtlas volcanic field rises straight out of the sea south of Veracruz city. The volcanoes map places all three.
Rivers define the southern half of the region. The Pánuco reaches the sea at Tampico, the Papaloapan drains the Oaxaca highlands into the Alvarado lagoon, and the Coatzacoalcos crosses the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. In Tabasco the Grijalva and the Usumacinta join to form the largest river system in Mexico by volume of water, discharging about 2,600 m³ per second. Around their mouths lie the Pantanos de Centla, a wetland biosphere reserve of roughly 3,000 km² of swamp, marsh and mangrove. The rivers map traces the network. Off Campeche, the Laguna de Términos is Mexico's largest coastal lagoon at about 1,500 km², sheltered behind the 38 km-long Isla del Carmen.
The Bay of Campeche is the centre of Mexican oil production. The Cantarell field, discovered in 1976 about 80 km offshore, was for two decades one of the largest producing fields in the world, and the shallow-water blocks around it still supply most of Pemex's crude. Ciudad del Carmen and Dos Bocas are the shore bases for that industry.
Main cities and sights
Veracruz is the historic port and the regional capital in everything but name, with a waterfront malecón, the island fortress of San Juan de Ulúa and a carnival held in February or March. The state capital is Xalapa, 90 km inland at 1,400 m, where the Museo de Antropología holds the largest collection of Olmec sculpture in the country, including several colossal heads. Coatzacoalcos anchors the petrochemical belt at the isthmus. North in Tamaulipas, Tampico keeps a centre of French-influenced ironwork built with oil money in the 1900s, while Ciudad Victoria is the inland state capital and Matamoros, Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo sit on the US border.
Villahermosa in Tabasco is the oil administrative capital; its Parque-Museo La Venta displays Olmec heads and altars moved from the flooded site of La Venta. Campeche is a walled colonial port, inscribed by UNESCO in 1999 for the bastions and gates built against pirate raids, and Ciudad del Carmen lies at the mouth of the Laguna de Términos. Inland from Veracruz, El Tajín near Papantla is a Totonac city of the 9th century with its Pyramid of the Niches; it and the Maya centres of southern Campeche appear on the archaeological sites map.
When to go and getting around
The dry, cooler months of November to April are the best time to travel, though this is also the season of the nortes. The rains fall from June to October, and Tabasco is the wettest state in Mexico, averaging more than 2,000 mm a year; Tuxtepec and the Los Tuxtlas hills are wetter still. Coastal daytime temperatures sit near 30 °C for most of the year and humidity is high everywhere below 500 m.
Highway 180 follows the coast from Matamoros through Tampico, Veracruz and Villahermosa to Campeche and Mérida. Highway 150D links Mexico City to Veracruz in about 5 hours; Highway 145 and 186 continue east across Tabasco to Escárcega. Airports are spread along the coast: TAM at Tampico, VER at Veracruz, MTT at Minatitlán, VSA at Villahermosa, CPE at Campeche and CME at Ciudad del Carmen, plus the border fields at Reynosa, Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo. All are on the airports map. The whole coastline, its depths and its ports are set out on the Gulf of Mexico map.
Questions about the Gulf Coast
Which Mexican states are on the Gulf of Mexico?
Six states touch the Gulf: Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo's northern tip. This page covers the four that form the Gulf coast proper — Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco and Campeche — while the Yucatán shore is treated in the Yucatán Peninsula page.
What is the main port on Mexico's Gulf coast?
The port of Veracruz, founded in 1519 and Mexico's oldest and busiest general-cargo port. Altamira and Tampico in Tamaulipas handle petrochemicals and steel, Coatzacoalcos handles oil and chemicals, and Dos Bocas in Tabasco is the newest oil terminal.
How far is Veracruz from Mexico City?
About 400 km by Highway 150D through Puebla and Orizaba, roughly 5 hours by car and 6 hours by first-class bus. Veracruz airport (VER) is a 55-minute flight from Mexico City.
When is hurricane season on the Gulf coast?
1 June to 30 November, with the highest risk in August, September and October. From November to March the coast is instead hit by nortes — cold fronts that bring strong north winds, closing ports for a day or two at a time.
Is the Gulf coast safe to visit?
Veracruz city, Xalapa, Campeche and Villahermosa see steady domestic tourism. The US State Department has long-standing travel restrictions on Tamaulipas and advisories covering parts of Veracruz and Tabasco; check the current advisory for each state before travelling.