Quintana Roo

Quintana Roo is a state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. It borders the Mexican states of Yucatan and Campeche to the north and west, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the nation of Belize to the south. The capital of Quintana Roo is the city of Chetumal. Quintana Roo also contains the resort city of Cancún[?], the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, the towns of Bacalar, Felipe Carrillo Puerto[?], Playa del Carmen[?], Puerto Juarez, and Puerto Morales, as well as the ancient Maya ruins of Chacchoben, Chakanbakán, Chamax, Coba, Dzibanché, El Meco, Ichpaatán, Kohunlich[?], Muyil, Oxtankah, Tancah, Tulum[?], Tupak, Xel-Há, and Xcaret. The state abveviation is Q.R.. The state has an area of 50,350 km square. Population in 2000 was estimated at 493,600. ISO 3166-2 is MX-ROO.

The area that makes up modern Quintana Roo was long part of Yucatan, sharing its history. With the War of the Castes starting in the 1840s, all Ladinos were driven from the region and the independent Maya nation of Chan Santa Cruz[?] was centered on what is now the town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. The Mexican govenment continued to have very little control over this region until the early decades of the 20th century.

Quintana Roo was made a territory of Mexico by decree of President Porfirio Diaz on November 24, 1902. It was named after an early patriot of the Mexican Republic, Andrés Quintana Roo[?]. The Mexican army succeeded in defeating most of the Maya population of the region during the 1910s, and in 1915 the area was again declared to legally be part of the state of Yucatan. In 1931 the territory of Quintana Roo was again separated from Yucatan.

Quintana Roo was granted statehood within the United States of Mexico on October 8, 1975. It is the youngest state of the Mexican Republic.