BAJA MEXICO CRUISES

Baja California Sur, state in western Mexico, occupying the southern half of the Baja California peninsula. Baja California Sur is a sparsely populated region best known for its tourist resorts and sport-fishing.

The state is bordered on the west and the south by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by the Gulf of California, and on the north by the Mexican state of Baja California.The northern part of the state is typically hot and extremely arid, with vegetation typified by desert shrubs and cactus.

The highest point in the state is San Lázaro peak, 2090 m (6857 ft) high, located in a mountain range that extends north to south along the entire eastern coast. The southern end of the peninsula receives significantly more precipitation, with tropical showers in late summer bringing about 130 mm (about 5 in) of rain on the coast, and 640 mm (25 in) in the mountains. Forests grow in the mountainous areas, and cotton, olives, sugarcane, and wheat are cultivated in the lowland.

Baja California Sur is largely unpopulated and has the least number of residents of any Mexican state. The population is primarily mestizo—people with a mix of Native American and European ancestry—and many people are recent immigrants. The state has virtually no indigenous population, and only a tiny minority speak an indigenous language. Of the 31 Mexican states, Baja California Sur had the third highest rate of population growth between 1980 and 1990. The state’s only major city is the capital of La Paz, a tourist destination and sport fishing center located near the southern end of the peninsula, on the Gulf of California. Two other small cities at the extreme southern end of the peninsula-San José del Cabo and San Lucas—are both centers for tourism and sport and commercial fishing. San Lucas is also a stopping point for large cruise ships.