Durango
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Durango | ||
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Location | ||
Statistics | ||
Capital | Durango | |
Area | 123,181 km² Ranked 4th |
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Population (2005 census) |
1,509,117 Ranked 23rd |
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HDI (2004) | 0.7910 - medium Ranked 15th |
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Governor (2004-2010) |
Ismael Hernández Deras (PRI) | |
Federal Deputies | PRI: 3 PAN: 1 |
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Federal Senators | PAN: 2 PRI: 1 |
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ISO 3166-2 Postal Abbr. |
MX-DUR Dgo. |
Durango (IPA pronunciation /duʲraŋgo/) is one of the constituent states of Mexico. Its population in 2005 census was about 1,509,117 people. It is the second-least densely populated state in Mexico, after Baja California Sur. The city of Durango is the capital. The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range located in the western portion of the state. This mountain range contains a plentiful supply of mineral deposits, including the silver that encouraged Spanish occupation of the territory after it was discovered. These mines extend north into Chihuahua and south into the state of Zacatecas.
Culturally, Durango is famous for a type of musical style known as duranguense.
The major occupations in Durango are farming, lumbering and ranching. Vast desert basins in the Laguna District are irrigated by the Río Nazas. Major crops grown in the area include cotton, wheat, corn, alfalfa, beans, sorghum and other vegetables.
Francisco de Ibarra, the first to colonize Durango, settled this part of the vast northern province of Nueva Vizcaya in 1563, when he founded the capital city and named it Durango for his native town in Biscay, Spain; the foundation was just one in his larger program of initiating settlements through the province. This was a late colonization for the Spanish, mostly due to heavy resistance to Spanish occupation by the indigenous population living there, from first contact to modern times, in attempts to gain some autonomy, address grievances, or maintain traditional land ownership. Spanish colonists became highly attracted to the Durango area for its mining and grazing capabilities. In 1823, shortly after the Mexican revolutionary victory over Spain, Durango earned the right to be a separate state.
Contents |
[edit] Municipalities
Durango is divided into 39 municipalities (municipios). See municipalities of Durango.
[edit] Major communities
[edit] References in Popular Culture
- Bob Dylan co-wrote a song called Romance in Durango with Jacques Levy for his 1976 classic, Desire (album).
- The sports car driven by Alexander deLarge and his droogies is called a "Durango 95" [1] [2] in Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange".
- Punk rock band The Ramones often opened their live act with a song called "Durango 95".
- Actor John Candy suffered a fatal heart attack here while filming his final motion picture, "Wagons East".
[edit] External links
- (Spanish) Durango State Government
- (Spanish) Towns, cities, and postal codes in Durango
- John P. Schmal, "The history of indigenous Durango" detailing the series of revolts
- (Spanish) Music history and Durango small harp
- (Spanish) Night Life at Durango
- (Spanish) Messages, Photographs, Local Towns
Aguascalientes · Baja California · Baja California Sur · Campeche · Chiapas · Chihuahua · Coahuila · Colima · Durango · Distrito Federal · Guanajuato · Guerrero · Hidalgo · Jalisco · México · Michoacán · Morelos · Nayarit · Nuevo León · Oaxaca · Puebla · Querétaro · Quintana Roo · San Luis Potosí · Sinaloa · Sonora · Tabasco · Tamaulipas · Tlaxcala · Veracruz · Yucatán · Zacatecas |