Colima - Geography and Environment

Geography and Environment

The state covered a territory of 5,455km2 and is the fourth smallest federal entity after Tlaxcala, Morelos and the Federal District of Mexico City, with only .3% of the country total territory. The state is located in the middle of Mexico’s Pacific coast, bordered by the states of Jalisco and Michoacán along with the Pacific Ocean. Colima’s territory also includes the Revillagigedo Islands which consist of Socorro, San Benedicto, Clarión and Roca Partida. They are under federal jurisdiction but are considered as part of the municipality of Manzanillo . Politically, the state is divided into ten municipalities . Natural geography divides the state into a northern and southern region. The north has a cooler climate due to the higher mountains. The south is hotter and includes the Pacific Ocean coastline. The Revillagigedo Islands are of volcanic origin which are dispersed along the19° north over an areas of about 400 km. In total, they cover an area of 205km2. The altitude of the state varies from zero at the coastline to 3,839 masl at the crater of the Colima Volcano .

The state is found within a derivation of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range and geographically consists of four mountain systems. The most important of these is the Cerro Grande and its related peaks of Jurípicho/Juluapan, Los Juanillos, La Astilla, El Ocote, El Peón, El Barrigón, San Diego and La Media Luna. The second consists of mountain chains parallel to the coast between the Marabasco and Armería Rivers, which include El Espinazo del Diablo, El Escorpión, El Tigre, El Aguacate, El Centinela, El Tora and La Vaca. The third is located between the Armería and Salado Rivers and include the Alcomún y Partida, San Miguel y Comala and San Gabriel/Callejones peaks. The last is found between the Salado and Naranjo or Coahuayana Rivers and contains small mountain chains such as the Piscila, Volcancillos, La Palmera, El Camichín and Copales. Three quarters of the state is covered by mountains and hills. At the very north of the state the border is marked by two volcanos. The Colima Volcano also called the Volcán de Fuego, which is active and the Nevado de Colima which is not. The Nevado de Colima is taller at 4,264 masl and gives its name to the national park that surrounds it. The Colima Volcano is 3825 masl and has a pyramidal peak in contrast to the other which has been leveled somewhat. The last major eruptions of the Colima Volcano occurred in 1998 and 1999.

The main rivers of the state are the Cihuatlán (also called the Chacala, Marabasco or Paticajo which forms the state’s border with Jalisco on the west, the Armería which descends from the Sierra de Cacoma and crosses the state north-south into the Pacific and the Coahuayana River. Another important river is the Salado River which flows entirely within Colima before emptying into the Coahuayana. Many of the state’s streams and arroyos empty into the Salado.

Colima has a relatively short coastline with a length of 139 km or 1.2% of Mexico’s total which extends from the Boca de Apiza to the Cerro de San Francisco in front of Barra de Navidad, Jalisco . Coastal lagoons include the Potrero Grande in Manzanillo along with the Miramar and the San Pedrito. On the Tecomán municipality coast there are the lagoons of Alcuzahua and Amela, with the Cuyutlán lagoon split between the municipalities of Armería and Manzanillo. Inland, there are various fresh water lakes, with the larger ones near the coast and smaller ones in the Valley of Colima. The valley lakes are fed by the runoff from the Colima Volcano and include the Carrizalillo, Las Cuatas, El Jabalí, El Calaboso, La María and La Escondida.

The predominant climate of the state is hot and relatively moist, with the coast particularly moist. One exception is the Tecomán municipality where the climate is dry and very hot. The mildest climates are found in the municipalities of Comala and Cuauhtémoc. On the coast, the average temperature varies from between 24 and 26C and in the near, at the highest elevations, the temperatures averages between 20 and 22 C.

Cropland covers 27% of the state’s territory, with another 28% dedicated to pasture. Forest covers 35% with the rest composed of bodies of water and urban areas. Most of the wild vegetation of western part of the state consists of rainforest of medium height which is moderately deciduous. Those plants that lose leaves do so in the dry season. These include commercially important trees such as red cedar, caobilla (Couratara guianensis), parota (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) and trees locally known as primavera, rosa morada, habillo, papelillo, barsino and salatón. From the west of Manzanillo and into the municipalities of Armería and Coquimatlán, there is rainforest of medium height with tree species such as copal (Bursera) and cuajilote (Parmentiera aculeate),with some pines, holm oaks and salt friendly mangrove forests and scrub.

There is great diversity of wildlife species although a number of mammal species such as ocelots, pumas, wild boar and deer are disappearing. Among the state’s rodents is the Xenomis nelson, a small rare animal little known outside Colima. Bird species include wild turkeys, although these have mostly disappeared, and a bird called the chachalaca. A number of ducks and other migratory birds pass through. Reptiles include crocodiles, with a nursery in Tecomán dedicated to their survival in the wild. Another important reptile is sea turtles.