Yucatán Peninsula

The Yucatán Peninsula separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf Of Mexico . The peninsula lies east of the Isthmus Of Tehuantepec , a northwestern Geographic partition separating the region of Central America from the rest of North America .

The peninsula comprises the Mexican States of Yucatán , Campeche , and Quintana Roo ; the northern part of the nation of Belize ; and Guatemala 's northern territory (department) of El Petén . Mexican states situated on the isthmus to the west of the peninsula include Chiapas and Tabasco .

The peninsula is mainly composed of Limestone . Cenotes or sinkholes are widespread; they were the main water source for both ancient and contemporary Maya people. It is thought that the Asteroid Impact Event which rendered the Dinosaur s Extinct occurred at the location where the Yucatán peninsula is today, centered on the current-day town of Chicxulub . See Chicxulub Crater .

The boundaries between northern Guatemala ( El Peten ), Mexico ( Campeche and Quintana Roo states) and western Belize are still occupied by the largest continuous tracts of tropical Rainforest in Central America; these forests are suffering extensive Deforestation . Short- and tall tropical jungles were the predominant natural vegetation types of the peninsula.

The Yucatán Peninsula roughly coincides with the zone of influence of the Pre-Columbian Maya and Mestizo s of partial Maya descent still make up a sizable portion of the region's population, and Mayan Languages are still widely spoken there.

There is a popular myth that the name Yucatan comes from the Yucatec Mayan word for "what are you saying?", supposedly said by those local Indians when the first Spanish explorers asked what the area was called.

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Yucatán Peninsula