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Place Name
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Tabasco
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Pronunciation
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tah-BAHS-ko
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Place Status (Type)
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state
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Capital is
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Villahermosa
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Population
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1,501,744 (1990)
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Location
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Tabasco, Mexico, North America
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Latitude
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17°15'N
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Longitude
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90°59'W
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Tabasco
(tah-BAHS-ko), state (
9,783 sq mi/25,338 sq km; 1990 pop.
1,501,744), E Mexico, on the Gulf of Campeche;  Villahermosa;
17°15'N 90°59'W. Tabasco is predominantly a tropical plain, once
densely forested, broken by numerous rivers, swamps, and lagoons. The
climate is hot and humid, and rainfall in some areas exceeds 200
in/508 cm annually. Tropical agr. (bananas, cacao,
sugarcane, hardwoods, and fruits) and cattle raising were the leading
economic activities, but rich oil fields discovered along the coast
have become Tabasco's economic mainstay. Petrochemical industry at
Coatzacoalcos and Minatitlan. The area, 1st explored by the
Spanish in 1518, was conquered in 1530 by Francisco de Montejo. During
the 17th and early 18th cent., Tabasco was contested bet. Spain and
England.
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