Compostela, Nayarit
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Compostela is a both a municipality and the municipal seat of the same in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The population of the municipality was 62,925 (2005 census) in a total area of 1,848 km² (713.5 sq mi). The population of the town, its municipal seat, was 15,991.
The name is in honor of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and means field of stars.
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[edit] Location
Compostela is located on the south coast of the state and is bounded in the north by San Blas and Xalisco; in the south by Bahía de Banderas and the state of Jalisco; in the east by Santa María del Oro, San Pedro Lagunillas and the state of Jalisco; in the west by the Pacific Ocean.
The total area is 1,848 km², which represents 6.76% of the area of the state of Nayarit.
[edit] Population centers
Compostela has 184 official settlements (localidades), among which the largest are: Compostela (15,991 inhabitants in 2005), Las Varas (12,403), La Peñita de Jaltemba (7,062), Zacualpan (4,468), Colonia Paraíso Escondido (2,069), Rincón de Guayabitos (1,919), Monteón (1,598), Ixtapa de la Concepción (1,533), Felipe Carrillo Puerto (1,119), Zapotán (1,023), Juan Escutia (Borbollón) (980), El Capomo (979), and Mazatán (958). These contain 82.8% of the population, while the rest lives in 171 smaller settlements.
Population Change
Due to the creation of the new municipality of Bahía de Banderas in 1989, the census figures of 1990 and 1995 show a population of 60,926 and 63,537 inhabitants, respectively, which shows an annual growth rate of 0.75%.
[edit] Relief
The relief of the municipality can be divided into three zones: the first with 72% is made up of mountainous zones; the second with 21% is made up of flat zones; and the third with 7% is made up of semi-flat zones.
The main elevations are Sierra de Zapotán with an altitutde of 1,520 meters; cerro Buenavista with 1,380 meters; cerro El Negro with 1,240 meters; and cerro El Molote with 1,060 meters. The average elevation is 260 meters.
[edit] Rivers and lakes
The rivers are all small and of short length. They are: the Refilión, Huicicila, Iztapa and Ameca.
[edit] Climate
The climate is semi-hot, with rains from July to September. The hottest months are April and May. The average annual rainfall is 968.5 mm. The average annual temperature is 22.9 °C.
[edit] Ecosystems and natural resources
The vegetation is abundant, with semi-tropical plants near the coastline and forest in the mountains. The fauna consists of deer, coyote, javali, hare, and jaguar; as well as a great variety of birds.
The main natural resources are tourism and fishing, due to the long coastline and the beaches of great beauty. There are also rich agricultural and pasture zones, and a mountainous area with forest resources.
Compostela has an area of 1848 square kilometers, of which 43.3% are for agricultural use; 49% are for cattle raising; 6.9% are for forestry ; and only 0.8% are for urban use. Most of the land is divided into ejidos.
[edit] Education and health (1990)
- Pre-primary schools: 55
- Primary schools: 83
- Lower secondary: 28
- Secondary: 3
- Technical Secondary: 19
- Higher Learning: 1 (campus of the http://www.uan.mx/ Autonomous University of Nayarit]
- Literacy Rate: 88%
- Health clinics: 18 units
- Hospitals: 1
[edit] Assorted facts
- Municipal market: 1
- Sports facilities: baseball stadium, public swimming pool, gymnasium
- Dwellings in 1990: 14,521
- Percentage of dwellings with piped in water: 91
- Percentage of dwellings with drainage: 80%
- Percentage of dwellings with electricity: 97%
- Road system: 252.9 km. in 1990, of which 63% were paved.
- Railroad connections: main Pacific railroad linking Nogales with the capital.
[edit] Economic information
Almost 50% of the economically active population was employed in the primary sector--agriculture, mining, forestry, and fishing. Commerce represented 35% and industry only 16%.
The main crops were tobacco, corn, beans, coffee, sorghum, and mangos. The total cultivated area of the state made up almost 9% of the surface. There were around 50,000 head of cattle in 1995. Fishing was important as well as the gathering of oysters. There was a modest forestry industry with the main trees utilized being pine, oak, and some cedar and caoba. There were several small gold and silver mines. In manufacturing the main products were cigars, mango packing, rice shelling, soap factories, cattle feed, furniture, and food and drink.
Tourism was also important in the economic sector with over 80 hotel establishments offering more than 2,000 rooms. There were also several trailer parks for tourists.
[edit] Touristic sights
This is a region that attracts a considerable number of local and foreign visitors due to the natural landscape, beaches, historical sites and the international fishing competitions.
In Compostela we should mention the cathedral and several colonial buildings; in Las Varas, the tobacco center; in the port of Chacala, an interesting archeological zone; and near Piedras, a zoo with specimens of the local fauna.
Around Las Varas in the direction of the south there are beaches in the zone called Costa Alegre, among which should be mentioned: Chacala and Chacalilla, La Peñita de Jaltemba, Rincón de Guayabitos, Los Ayala, El Monteón, Lo de Marcos and Playa Platanitos, as well as the islands in the bay of Rincón de Guayabitos, with a good infrastructure of services.
[edit] Political structure
The municipal government is made up of a mayor or Presidente Municipal, a legal advisor known as a Síndico, and 13 councilmembers. All are elected for a term of three years. The first mayor took office in 1917. The current mayor is Marco Antonio Moreno Venegas, for the mandate of 200-08.
[edit] References
- Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
