Baja California Sur

Baja California Sur (sr), state (1990 pop. 317,764), 27,571 sq mi (71,428 sq km), NW Mexico, on the Baja California peninsula. La Paz is the capital. The area is lightly populated and has little arable land. There is some cotton grown commercially and there is significant salt mining in the desert region in the northern portion of the state. Tourism, the economic mainstay, is centered at Los Cabos, an international beach resort area and sport fishing destination at the southern end of the state. Baja California Sur was made a state in 1974.

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Baja California Sur

State (pop., 2000: 423,516), southern Baja California peninsula, northwestern Mexico. It occupies an area of 28,369 sq mi (73, 475 sq km), and its capital is La Paz. It became a state in 1974. It is sparsely populated and remains relatively underdeveloped. Much new acreage of cotton has been planted near La Paz, but subsistence agriculture is most common. An increase in tourism and improved communications have begun to alleviate the state's isolation.