Geography
Chihuahua covers 247,455 km², making it the largest state in Mexico — larger than the United Kingdom, and about 12 per cent of the national territory. It divides into three bands. The western third is the Sierra Madre Occidental, a block of pine and oak forest above 2,000 m cut by the canyon system known collectively as the Barrancas del Cobre, or Copper Canyon. Several of its gorges are deeper than the Grand Canyon; the Urique canyon drops about 1,870 m from rim to river. This is the homeland of the Rarámuri (Tarahumara), the largest indigenous group in northern Mexico.
East of the sierra the land steps down to a belt of high valleys and plains at 1,200–1,600 m, where Chihuahua city, Cuauhtémoc and Delicias sit and where almost all of the state's irrigated farming is. Cuauhtémoc is the centre of Mexico's Mennonite colonies, settled from Canada in 1922, and of the apple orchards that make Chihuahua the country's leading apple producer. The eastern third is Chihuahuan Desert, the largest desert in North America, running into the closed basin of the Bolsón de Mapimí.
The Río Bravo (the Rio Grande) forms the entire northern boundary with New Mexico and Texas, about 900 km of it, and the state's own Río Conchos joins it at Ojinaga after some 900 km — the Conchos supplies most of the water that keeps the lower Río Bravo flowing. Highest point is Cerro Mohinora in the southern sierra, about 3,300 m.
Main cities
Municipal populations from the INEGI census of 2020. Two municipalities hold two-thirds of the state.
| City | Population (2020) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ciudad Juárez | 1,512,450 | Border city opposite El Paso, Texas |
| Chihuahua | 937,730 | State capital, 1,440 m |
| Cuauhtémoc | 168,482 | Mennonite colonies, apple orchards |
| Delicias | 148,045 | Irrigation district on the Río Conchos |
| Hidalgo del Parral | 118,051 | Silver mining town founded 1631 |
| Nuevo Casas Grandes | about 65,000 | Near the Paquimé ruins |
| Guachochi | about 53,000 | Sierra Tarahumara, Sinforosa canyon |
| Camargo | about 52,000 | Conchos valley, Highway 45 |
| Bocoyna (Creel) | about 32,000 | Copper Canyon rail stop |
| Ojinaga | about 27,000 | Crossing to Presidio, Texas |
Neighbouring states
Chihuahua has four Mexican neighbours. Sonora lies to the west across the crest of the sierra, Sinaloa touches the south-western corner, Durango adjoins the south and Coahuila the south-east. To the north are the United States: New Mexico for the western half of the line and Texas east of Ciudad Juárez, where the Río Bravo takes over as the boundary. Chihuahua carries more of the US–Mexico border than any other state, and its Juárez–El Paso crossing is one of the busiest land borders in the world.
Getting there
Chihuahua city's General Roberto Fierro Villalobos airport (CUU) has domestic flights and services to Texas; Abraham González International (CJS) serves Ciudad Juárez, and many travellers instead fly to El Paso and cross on foot. Nuevo Casas Grandes has a small airfield. The airports map shows the codes in context.
By road, Federal Highway 45 is the spine, running from Ciudad Juárez through Chihuahua city, Delicias and Camargo to Jiménez and on into Durango; the tolled 45D parallels much of it. Highway 16 climbs west from Chihuahua over the sierra towards Hermosillo, Highway 2 runs along the border, and Highway 24 drops south from Hidalgo del Parral. From Mexico City the drive to Chihuahua city is about 1,450 km, roughly 16 hours, via 57D and 45D. See the road map for the federal network.
The other way in is the Chepe, the Chihuahua al Pacífico railway, which runs 653 km from Chihuahua city through the Copper Canyon to Los Mochis on the Pacific, crossing 37 bridges and 86 tunnels and climbing to 2,400 m at Creel. It is the last scheduled passenger train of its kind in Mexico, and most riders break the journey at Creel, Divisadero or El Fuerte rather than run it end to end in a day.
Distances inside the state are long. Chihuahua city to Ciudad Juárez is about 375 km, four hours on 45D; to Hidalgo del Parral about 220 km; to Creel about 250 km on Highway 16 and the sierra road; and to Ojinaga about 240 km east on Highway 16. Chihuahua city to Torreón, the next large city to the south-east, is about 550 km.
Questions about Chihuahua
Where is Chihuahua on the map of Mexico?
In the far north, against New Mexico and Texas. It is the largest of the 32 states, covering 247,455 km² — about an eighth of Mexico — and reaches from the Sierra Madre Occidental in the west to the Chihuahuan Desert and the Río Bravo in the east.
What is Chihuahua known for?
Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre) and the Chepe railway, the Chihuahuan Desert, cattle ranching, apple and pecan orchards around Cuauhtémoc and Delicias, and the border industry of Ciudad Juárez. The Chihuahua dog breed and the 1910 revolution of Pancho Villa both take their name from the state.
What time zone is Chihuahua in?
Central time, UTC−6, all year. The state moved from Mountain to Central time when Mexico ended daylight saving in October 2022. The border municipalities around Ciudad Juárez are the exception: they keep the United States daylight-saving calendar so that they stay in step with El Paso.
How far is Chihuahua city from Mexico City?
About 1,450 km by road, roughly 16 hours of driving on Highways 57D and 45D through Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Torreón and Jiménez. Flights from Mexico City to Chihuahua (CUU) take about 2 hours 20 minutes.
Is Chihuahua safe to visit?
Copper Canyon, the Chepe train, Chihuahua city and the Mennonite country around Cuauhtémoc are visited regularly; the US State Department has kept Chihuahua at its higher advisory levels for years, with specific warnings for parts of the sierra and for travel after dark. Check the current advisory before you go.