Metropolitan areas of Mexico have been traditionally defined as the group of municipalities that heavily interact with each other, usually around a core city, in Mexico. The phenomenon of metropolization in Mexico is relatively recent, starting in the 1940s. [1] Because of an accelerated level of urbanization in the country, the definition of a metropolitan area (in Mexican Spanish: zona metropolitana) is reviewed periodically by the Mexican population and census authorities.
One of the first studies on a methodology to define and quantify the metropolitan areas in Mexico was published by El Colegio de México in 1978. In Luis Unikel's book "Urban Development in Mexico: Diagnosis and Future Implications", a metropolitan area was designated as "the territorial area that includes the political and administrative units from a central city, and any contiguous, urban political and administrative units with a direct socioeconomic interrelation with the central city, and viceversa". 12 metropolitan areas were identified, containing 25.6 percent of the national population. [2]
A 1993 study published by Mexico's National Institute of Public Administration (INAP), "Metropolitan and Regional Government and Management", defined a metropolitan area as "the physical or functional union of two or more municipalities that contain a central city and its contiguous locations, or a central city and surrounding locations under its socio-economic influence", and increased the number of metropolitan areas to 37. [1]
In 2004, a joint effort between the National Population Council (CONAPO), INEGI and the Ministry of Social Development (SEDESOL) agreed to officially define metropolitan areas as any of the following: [3]
The number of metropolitan areas increased to 55 under these criteria.
CONAPO last reviewed the criteria in 2018, and from that date, a metropolitan area in Mexico is defined as: [4]
These new criteria also introduced two groups of municipalities within a metropolitan area: core, the location of the core city or cities in the area; and peripheral, surrounding, urban areas with high degree of integration with the core. [4]
As per this last definition, there are currently 74 metropolitan areas in Mexico. 75.1 million people, 62.8 percent of the country population, live within a metropolitan area. [4]
Northern states are generally divided into a small number of large municipalities, whereas central and southern states are divided into a large number of smaller municipalities. As such, metropolitan areas in the north of the country cover fewer municipalities than those in the central and southern parts.
A few metropolitan areas extend beyond the limits of one state, like Greater Mexico City (Mexico City, Mexico and Hidalgo), La Laguna (Coahuila and Durango), and Tampico (Tamaulipas and Veracruz).
Determining the public finance of metropolitan areas in Mexico has been challenging. Metropolitan areas in Mexico are complex in terms of population and industry. The Federal government of Mexico is transferring money to Municipalities of Mexico, but metropolitan areas in Mexico are increasingly plagued by a weakening fiscal capacity and rising local debt. The political factors that undermine a local tax reform in the metropolitan areas of Mexico are not well documented. [5]
Official name of each metropolitan area, area in square kilometers and number of municipalities from CONAPO. [4]
Population in 2020 from the 2020 Census, [6] population in 2010 from the 2010 Census. [7]
| Rank | Metropolitan area | State(s) | Main cities | Municip. | Area (km2) | 2020 Census | 2010 Census | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greater Mexico City | Mexico City, Mexico, Hidalgo | Mexico City, Ecatepec, Nezahualcóyotl | 76 | 7,866.1 | 21,804,515 | 20,116,842 | +8.39% |
| 2 | Monterrey | Nuevo León | Monterrey, Guadalupe, Apodaca | 18 | 7,657.5 | 5,341,171 | 4,226,031 | +26.39% |
| 3 | Guadalajara | Jalisco | Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlaquepaque | 10 | 3,560.6 | 5,286,642 | 4,521,755 | +16.92% |
| 4 | Puebla-Tlaxcala | Puebla, Tlaxcala | Puebla, Cholula, Tlaxcalancingo | 39 | 2,392.4 | 3,199,530 | 2,728,790 | +17.25% |
| 5 | Toluca | Mexico | Toluca, Metepec, Zinacantepec | 16 | 2,410.5 | 2,353,924 | 2,014,091 | +16.87% |
| 6 | Tijuana | Baja California | Tijuana, Tecate, Playas de Rosarito | 3 | 4,422.7 | 2,157,853 | 1,751,430 | +23.21% |
| 7 | León | Guanajuato | León, Silao | 2 | 1,760.1 | 1,924,771 | 1,609,504 | +19.59% |
| 8 | Querétaro | Querétaro, Guanajuato | Querétaro, El Pueblito, Apaseo el Alto | 5 | 2,427.3 | 1,594,212 | 1,161,458 | +37.26% |
| 9 | Juárez | Chihuahua | Ciudad Juárez | 1 | 3,547.5 | 1,512,450 | 1,332,131 | +13.54% |
| 10 | La Laguna | Coahuila, Durango | Torreón, Gómez Palacio, Lerdo | 5 | 7,889.0 | 1,434,283 | 1,271,493 | +12.80% |
| 11 | Mérida | Yucatán | Mérida, Kanasín | 11 | 3,044.2 | 1,316,088 | 1,053,519 | +24.92% |
| 12 | San Luis Potosí | San Luis Potosí | San Luis Potosí, Soledad | 3 | 2,401.9 | 1,271,366 | 1,040,822 | +22.15% |
| 13 | Aguascalientes | Aguascalientes | Aguascalientes, Jesús María | 3 | 1,822.3 | 1,225,432 | 932,369 | +31.43% |
| 14 | Mexicali | Baja California | Mexicali | 1 | 15,654.0 | 1,049,792 | 936,826 | +12.06% |
| 15 | Saltillo | Coahuila | Saltillo, Ramos Arizpe | 3 | 14,009.3 | 1,031,779 | 823,128 | +25.35% |
| 16 | Cuernavaca | Morelos | Cuernavaca, Jiutepec, Temixco | 8 | 1,189.9 | 1,028,589 | 924,964 | +11.20% |
| 17 | Culiacán | Sinaloa | Culiacán | 1 | 6,305.0 | 1,003,530 | 858,638 | +16.87% |
| 18 | Morelia | Michoacán | Morelia | 3 | 1,771.2 | 988,704 | 829,625 | +19.17% |
| 19 | Chihuahua | Chihuahua | Chihuahua | 3 | 18,093.7 | 988,065 | 852,533 | +15.90% |
| 20 | Veracruz | Veracruz | Veracruz, Boca del Río | 6 | 1,888.8 | 939,046 | 811,671 | +15.69% |
| 21 | Hermosillo | Sonora | Hermosillo | 1 | 16,955.2 | 936,263 | 784,342 | +19.37% |
| 22 | Cancún | Quintana Roo | Cancún | 2 | 3,053.6 | 934,189 | 677,379 | +37.91% |
| 23 | Tampico | Tamaulipas, Veracruz | Tampico, Ciudad Madero, Miramar | 5 | 5,281.7 | 927,379 | 859,419 | +7.91% |
| 24 | Acapulco | Guerrero | Acapulco | 2 | 3,538.5 | 852,622 | 863,431 | −1.25% |
| 25 | Tuxtla Gutiérrez | Chiapas | Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapa de Corzo | 5 | 2,160.9 | 848,274 | 738,261 | +14.90% |
| 26 | Reynosa | Tamaulipas | Reynosa, Río Bravo | 2 | 4,730.6 | 837,251 | 727,150 | +15.14% |
| 27 | Villahermosa | Tabasco | Villahermosa | 2 | 2,253.1 | 833,907 | 755,425 | +10.39% |
| 28 | Xalapa | Veracruz | Xalapa, Coatepec | 8 | 1,090.0 | 778,139 | 711,369 | +9.39% |
| 29 | Celaya | Guanajuato | Celaya, Cortázar, Comonfort | 4 | 1,505.4 | 767,104 | 690,442 | +11.10% |
| 30 | Oaxaca | Oaxaca | Oaxaca, Xoxocotlán | 24 | 634.0 | 713,925 | 619,367 | +15.27% |
| 31 | Durango | Durango | Durango | 1 | 9,285.4 | 688,697 | 582,267 | +18.28% |
| 32 | Pachuca | Hidalgo | Pachuca | 7 | 1,184.8 | 665,929 | 512,196 | +30.01% |
| 33 | Tlaxcala – Apizaco | Tlaxcala | Apizaco, Chiautempan, Tlaxcala | 19 | 708.1 | 570,308 | 499,567 | +14.16% |
| 34 | Matamoros | Tamaulipas | Matamoros | 1 | 4,633.2 | 541,979 | 489,193 | +10.79% |
| 35 | Poza Rica | Veracruz | Poza Rica, Coatzintla, Papantla | 5 | 2,789.0 | 521,530 | 513,518 | +1.56% |
| 36 | Mazatlán | Sinaloa | Mazatlán | 1 | 2,532.6 | 501,441 | 438,434 | +14.37% |
| 37 | Tepic | Nayarit | Tepic, Xalisco | 2 | 2,139.0 | 491,153 | 429,351 | +14.39% |
| 38 | Cuautla | Morelos | Cuautla, Yautepec | 6 | 979.6 | 483,455 | 434,147 | +11.36% |
| 39 | Puerto Vallarta | Jalisco, Nayarit | Puerto Vallarta, Valle de Banderas | 2 | 1,452.2 | 479,471 | 379,886 | +26.21% |
| 40 | Orizaba | Veracruz | Orizaba, Río Blanco | 13 | 641.8 | 465,175 | 427,406 | +8.84% |
| 41 | Ensenada‡ | Baja California | Ensenada | 1 | 19,346.0 | 443,807 | 466,814 | −4.93% |
| 42 | Nuevo Laredo | Tamaulipas | Nuevo Laredo | 1 | 1,224.0 | 425,058 | 384,033 | +10.68% |
| 43 | Zacatecas – Guadalupe | Zacatecas | Zacatecas, Guadalupe | 5 | 1,820.2 | 405,285 | 335,947 | +20.64% |
| 44 | Colima – Villa de Álvarez | Colima | Colima, Villa de Álvarez | 5 | 2,287.6 | 380,575 | 334,240 | +13.86% |
| 45 | Monclova – Frontera | Coahuila | Monclova, Frontera | 4 | 11,495.1 | 374,247 | 339,462 | +10.25% |
| 46 | Minatitlán | Veracruz | Minatitlán | 6 | 2,930.3 | 359,228 | 356,137 | +0.87% |
| 47 | Tehuacán | Puebla | Tehuacán | 2 | 647.0 | 357,621 | 296,899 | +20.45% |
| 48 | Coatzacoalcos | Veracruz | Coatzacoalcos | 3 | 496.0 | 355,738 | 347,257 | +2.44% |
| 49 | Tapachula | Chiapas | Tapachula | 1 | 980.1 | 353,706 | 320,451 | +10.38% |
| 50 | Ciudad Victoria | Tamaulipas | Ciudad Victoria | 1 | 1,463.6 | 349,688 | 321,953 | +8.61% |
| 51 | Chilpancingo | Guerrero | Chilpancingo | 2 | 3,249.9 | 336,480 | 287,875 | +16.88% |
| 52 | Córdoba | Veracruz | Córdoba, Fortín de las Flores | 4 | 460.4 | 335,950 | 316,032 | +6.30% |
| 53 | Campeche | Campeche | Campeche | 1 | 3,244.0 | 294,077 | 259,005 | +13.54% |
| 54 | La Paz | Baja California Sur | La Paz | 1 | 15,838.0 | 292,241 | 251,871 | +16.03% |
| 55 | Zamora | Michoacán | Zamora, Jacona | 2 | 453.7 | 273,641 | 250,113 | +9.41% |
| 56 | Tulancingo | Hidalgo | Tulancingo, Cuautepec | 3 | 673.1 | 268,351 | 239,579 | +12.01% |
| 57 | Nogales | Sonora | Nogales | 1 | 1,756.6 | 264,782 | 220,292 | +20.20% |
| 58 | La Piedad – Pénjamo | Guanajuato, Michoacán | La Piedad, Pénjamo | 2 | 1,845.8 | 261,450 | 249,512 | +4.78% |
| 59 | Tula | Hidalgo | Tula | 5 | 1,845.8 | 256,795 | 205,812 | +24.77% |
| 60 | Chetumal‡‡ | Quintana Roo | Chetumal | 1 | 9,958.2 | 233,648 | 244,553 | −4.46% |
| 61 | San Francisco del Rincón | Guanajuato | San Francisco del Rincón, Purísima | 2 | 716.1 | 214,713 | 182,365 | +17.74% |
| 62 | Piedras Negras | Coahuila | Piedras Negras | 2 | 1,382.4 | 209,456 | 180,734 | +15.89% |
| 63 | Guaymas | Sonora | Guaymas, Empalme | 2 | 8,544.0 | 208,294 | 203,430 | +2.39% |
| 64 | Delicias | Chihuahua | Ciudad Delicias | 2 | 962.3 | 195,359 | 181,768 | +7.48% |
| 65 | Guanajuato | Guanajuato | Guanajuato | 1 | 1,014.1 | 194,500 | 171,706 | +13.28% |
| 66 | Ocotlán | Jalisco | Ocotlán | 3 | 1,240.3 | 184,603 | 164,256 | +12.39% |
| 67 | Tianguistenco | Mexico | Santiago Tianguistenco | 6 | 304.0 | 183,281 | 157,944 | +16.04% |
| 68 | Tehuantepec | Oaxaca | Salina Cruz, Tehuantepec | 5 | 1,712.1 | 179,870 | 182,870 | −1.64% |
| 69 | Rioverde | San Luis Potosí | Rioverde, Ciudad Fernández | 2 | 3,582.4 | 146,049 | 135,452 | +7.82% |
| 70 | Tecomán | Colima | Tecomán, Armería | 2 | 1,347.7 | 143,931 | 141,421 | +1.77% |
| 71 | Teziutlán | Puebla | Teziutlán, Chignautla | 2 | 240.9 | 138,806 | 122,500 | +13.31% |
| 72 | Hidalgo del Parral | Chihuahua | Hidalgo del Parral, San Francisco del Oro | 2 | 2,403.5 | 121,666 | 111,814 | +8.81% |
| 73 | Acayucan | Veracruz | Acayucan, Oluta | 3 | 830.0 | 114,416 | 112,996 | +1.26% |
| 74 | Moroleón – Uriangato | Guanajuato | Moroleón, Uriangato | 2 | 276.1 | 108,755 | 108,669 | +0.08% |
A new municipality, San Quintín, was created out of Ensenada's territory in February 2020. [8]
Another new municipality, Bacalar, was created out of Othon P. Blanco's territory in February 2011. [9]
The United States shares a 2,000 mi (3,000 km) border with Mexico. It is the most frequently crossed international border in the world, with about 250 million legal crossings every year. [10]
The distribution of the population in Mexico, especially, in urban areas, has been changed significantly by the economic interaction between settlements in its north and the United States. The increasing population concentration in the north of Mexico is strongly associated with the development of the maquila industries there and the eventual economic effects of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). [12]
Metropolitan areas at the border with the United States form transnational conurbations with deep economic and demographic interaction. For example, the San Diego – Tijuana metropolitan area consists of San Diego County in the US and the municipalities of Tijuana, Playas de Rosarito, and Tecate in Mexico. The total population of the region has been estimated to be just over 5 million in 2009, making it by far the largest binational metropolitan area shared between the US and Mexico. [13] The National Population Council (CONAPO) recognizes the existence of such metropolitan areas and defines them as the municipalities with a city of at least 200,000 inhabitants and sharing processes of conurbation with cities of the US: [3]
| Rank | Metropolitan Area | Mexican State | American State | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tijuana - San Diego | Baja California | California | 5,009,170 [13] |
| 2 | El Paso - Juarez | Chihuahua | Texas | 2,345,182 [13] |
| 3 | Reynosa - McAllen | Tamaulipas | Texas | 1,500,000 [13] |
| 4 | Matamoros - Brownsville | Tamaulipas | Texas | 1,136,995 [13] |
| 5 | Mexicali - Calexico | Baja California | California | 956,223 [13] |
| 6 | Nuevo Laredo - Laredo | Tamaulipas | Texas | 747,494 [13] |
| 7 | Nogales - Nogales | Sonora | Arizona | 234,809 [nb 1] |
| 8 | Piedras Negras - Eagle Pass | Coahuila | Texas | 230,205 [nb 2] |
| 9 | San Luis Río Colorado - San Luis | Sonora | Arizona | 188,152 [nb 3] |
| 10 | Ciudad Acuña - Del Río | Coahuila | Texas | 183,750 [nb 4] |
A megalopolis is defined as a long chain of continuous metropolitan areas or territories that are relatively integrated amongst each other, a clear example being the Northeast Megalopolis in the United States. In 1996, the Programa General de Desarollo Urbano del Distrito Federal first proposed this concept to refer to the Mexico City megalopolis, or "megalopolis of central Mexico", which was later expanded by PROAIRE, a metropolitan commission on the environment. [14]
Known in the Spanish language as the corona regional del centro de México (regional ring), the megalopolis of Central Mexico was defined as the consolidation of the metropolitan areas of the Valley of Mexico, Puebla, Cuernavaca, Toluca, Pachuca, Tlaxcala, Tulancingo, Tula, Cuautla and Tianguistenco.
The Mexico City megalopolis spreads over 19,500 square kilometres (7,500 sq miles) and consists of 185 subdivisions in 6 federative entities. Furthermore, The Mexico City megalopolis spreads over 169 municipalities, of which 81 are in the State of Mexico. A further 39 are in Tlaxcala, 19 are in Puebla, 16 are in Hidalgo, 14 are in Morelos, and last but not least 16 boroughs of Mexico City. [14]
With a population of about 129 million in 2022, Mexico is the 10th most populated country in the world. It is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world and the third-most populous country in the Americas after the United States and Brazil, the most populous city in the country is the capital, Mexico City, with a population of 8.9 million (2016), and its metropolitan area is also the most populated with 20.1 million (2010). Approximately 50% of the population lives in one of the 55 large metropolitan areas in the country. In total, about 78.84% of the population of the country lives in urban areas, and only about 21.16% in rural ones.
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which are sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metropolitan area usually comprises multiple principal cities, jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships, boroughs, cities, towns, exurbs, suburbs, counties, districts and even states and nations in areas like the eurodistricts. As social, economic and political institutions have changed, metropolitan areas have become key economic and political regions.
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most cases, a conurbation is a polycentric urbanised area in which transportation has developed to link areas. They create a single urban labour market or travel to work area.
Greater Buenos Aires, also known as the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, refers to the urban agglomeration comprising the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the adjacent 24 partidos (districts) in the Province of Buenos Aires. Thus, it does not constitute a single administrative unit. The conurbation spreads south, west and north of Buenos Aires city. To the east, the River Plate serves as a natural boundary.
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. This is the core of a metropolitan statistical area in the United States, if it contains a population of more than 50,000.
Greater Mexico City is the conurbation around Mexico City, officially called the Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico. It encompasses Mexico City itself and 60 adjacent municipalities of the State of Mexico and Hidalgo.
California's major urban areas normally are thought of as two large megalopolises: one in Northern California and one in Southern California, separated from each other by approximately 382 miles or 615 km, with sparsely inhabited (relatively) Central Coast, Central Valley, and Transverse Ranges in between. Other ideas conceive of a single megalopolis encompassing both North and South, or a division of Coastal California vs. Inland California. These regional concepts are usually based on geographic, cultural, political, and environmental differences, rather than transportation and infrastructure connectivity and boundaries.
Mexicali Municipality is a municipality in the Mexican state of Baja California. Its municipal seat is located in the city of Mexicali. As of 2020, the municipality had a total population of 1,049,792. The municipality has an area of 13,700 km2 (5,300 sq mi). This includes many smaller outlying communities as well as the city of Mexicali. Also, the islands of Baja California located in the Gulf of California are part of the municipality, among them the mudflat islands at the mouth of the Colorado River, Isla Ángel de la Guarda and the islands of the San Lorenzo Marine Archipelago National Park. Mexicali is the northernmost municipality of Latin America.
Greater Toluca or the Metropolitan Area of Toluca is the conurbation formed by Toluca, as the core city, and 12 adjacent municipalities of the state of Mexico, namely Almoloya de Juárez, Calimaya, Chapultepec, Lerma, Metepec, Mexicaltzingo, Ocoyoacac, Otzolotepec, San Mateo Atenco, Xonacatlán and Zinacantepec. The city of Toluca is just one of several cities/towns that comprise the municipality of Toluca. The Municipality of Toluca, in 2020, had a population of around 910,608, whereas the population of the entire metropolitan area was 2.3 million, making it the fifth largest metropolitan area of Mexico after Greater Mexico City, Greater Guadalajara, Greater Monterrey and Greater Puebla.
The Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley is the second most important and populated metropolitan area in Colombia. The region is made up of ten municipalities, Medellín being the most important, largest and the capital city of the Antioquia Department.
Laredo–Nuevo Laredo, otherwise known as the "Four-State Area" or the "Quad State Area", is one of six transborder agglomerations along the U.S.-Mexican border. The city of Laredo is situated in the U.S. state of Texas on the northern bank of the Rio Grande and Nuevo Laredo is located in the Mexican State of Tamaulipas in the southern bank of the river. This area is also known as the Two Laredos or the Laredo Borderplex. The area is made up of one county in the U.S and three municipalities in Mexico. Two urban areas, three cities, and 12 towns make the Laredo–Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan area. The two sides of the Borderplex are connected by four International Bridges and an International Railway Bridge. The Laredo–Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan area has a total of 636,516 inhabitants according to the INEGI Census of 2010 and the United States Census estimate of 2010. According to World Gazetteer this urban agglomeration ranked 157th largest in North and South America in 2010 with an estimated population of 675,481. This area ranks 66th in the United States and 23rd in Mexico.
A metropolis is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
The Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona is a public body operating on the principle of metropolitan authority. It is composed of representatives of Barcelona and 36 adjacent municipalities accounting for a population of 3,239,337 within an area of 636 km2. Its jurisdiction constitutes the main core of the unofficial Barcelona metropolitan area, with a population over 5 million.
The Tijuana metropolitan area, and in Spanish the Zona Metropolitana de Tijuana, is located by the Pacific Ocean in Mexico. The 2010 census placed the Tijuana metropolitan area as the fifth largest city by population in the country with 1,751,302 people. The census bureau defined metropolitan area comprises three municipalities: Tijuana, Tecate and Rosarito Beach. Yet sources commonly include Tecate Municipality in the metropolitan area as the urban area between Tijuana and Tecate grows, the commuting populace increases - ultimately further developing the southern areas of San Diego–Tijuana, and the three municipalities maintain strong relationships and cooperation.
The Mexico City megalopolis, also known as the Megalopolis of Central Mexico, is a megalopolis containing Greater Mexico City and surrounding metropolitan areas.
The Pachuca metropolitan area is a metropolitan area located in the state of Hidalgo in Mexico. It consists of the municipalities of Pachuca, Mineral del Monte, Mineral de la Reforma, San Agustín Tlaxiaca, Epazoyucan, Zapotlán de Juárez and Zempoala.
Morelos is a semi-urban municipality in the Zacatecas metropolitan area in the Mexican state of Zacatecas.