| Baja California |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT BAJA CALIFORNIA | |
| states of mexico | |
| baja california | |
| divided regions | |
| california, bajastates of mexico | |
| baja california | |
| divided regions | |
| california, baja | |
| states of mexico | |
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Baja California (literally "lower California" in Spanish ) is the northernmost State of Mexico . It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as '''Baja California Norte''' to distinguish it from the Baja California Peninsula , of which it forms the northern half, and Baja California Sur , which forms the southern half of the peninsula. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the Territory of Baja California Norte. It has an area of 71,576 km2 (about 27,600 mi2, or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico. The state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean , on the east by Sonora and the Sea Of Cortez or Gulf Of California , and on the south by Baja California Sur . Its northern limit is the U.S.-Mexico Border , adjacent to the U.S. State of California . The state has a population of 2,750,000 ( 2003 estimate), much more than the sparsely populated Baja California Sur to the south. Over 75% of the population lives in the capital city, Mexicali , or the most populous city in the state, Tijuana . Both these cities are close to the U.S. border. Other important cities include Ensenada , San Felipe , and Playas De Rosarito y Tecate . The states inhabitants are known as "Cachanillas," after the wild cachanilla plant which has a fresh aroma and was used by the original inhabitants to make huts. The first Mestizo colonies used these materials with dried mud. Originally, the term "Cachanillas" was applied only to the inhabitants of the Mexicali Valley, although there are tales of the term being used for inhabitants of Santa Rosalía in Baja California Sur. Author Antonio Valdéz Herrera's work "Puro Canchanilla" (Pure Canchanilla) has made use of the term more common. THE FIRST INHABITANTS OF BAJA CALIFORNIA It is estimated that the first humans came to the peninsula around 14,000 years ago. These subsistence-level nomads followed the Pacific coast down from Alaska. Three tribes existed in the pre-Columbian era: the Pericúes, the Guaycuras, and the Cochimíes. The Pericúes inhabited the southern part of the peninsula and extended north to the middle of the peninsula. The Guaycuras lived in the middle part of the peninsula and the Cochimíes inhabited the extreme north. Other nomadic groups are also thought to have inhabited the northern area. These include the Kumiai, the Cucapá, the Pai Pai, the Kiliwa, the Cahilla, and the Akula tribes. HISTORY
MUNICIPALITIES Baja California is subdivided into five '' Municipio s'' ( Municipalities ). See Municipalities Of Baja California . EDUCATION
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