Poza Rica
Encyclopedia
Poza Rica is a city and its surrounding municipality
in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 state
States of Mexico
The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...

 of Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...

. Its name means "rich pool", because it was a place known for its abundance of fish. In this century oil was discovered in the area. It has since been almost completely extracted. This resulted in the decline of oil well exploration and drilling activities but there are many oil refineries.

It shares borders with the municipalities of Papantla
Papantla
Papantla is a city and municipality located in the north of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, in the Sierra Papanteca range and on the Gulf of Mexico. The city was founded in the 13th century by the Totonacs and has dominated the Totonacapan region of the state since then...

, Tihuatlán, and Coatzintla
Coatzintla
Coatzintla is a municipality in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in the north zone of the State of Veracruz, about from the state capital Xalapa. It covers an area of...

, and stands on Federal Highway 180
Mexican Federal Highway
Mexican Federal Highways, are roads maintained and built by the federal government of Mexico, through the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation ....

. The archaeological zone of El Tajín
El Tajín
El Tajín is a pre-Columbian archeological site and was the site of one of the largest and most important cities of the Classic era of Mesoamerica. The city flourished from 600 to 1200 C.E. and during this time numerous temples, palaces, Mesoamerican ballcourts and pyramids were built...

 is located approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Poza Rica. The area is intensely tropical, with two popular beaches within one hour, Tuxpan
Tuxpan
Tuxpan is both a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The population of the city was 78,523 and of the municipality was 134,394 inhabitants, according to the INEGI census of 2005, residing in a total area of 1,051.89 km²...

, and Tecolutla, and one within 40 minutes, Cazones. Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

 is about 220 kilometres (136.7 mi) from Poza Rica.
Unlike most Mexican cities, it does not have old buildings because it is a new city founded officially on November 20, 1951. For that reason it has contemporary architecture with well-lined and designed streets with a modern look.
While the petroleum industry features heavily amongst the industrial landscape in Poza Rica, the city also has a wide variety of other industries. As one of the largest and most populous cities in Veracruz, Poza Rica is an important industrial and commercial center, and central hub for several road transportation lines. The city has recently seen a lot of growth, with several commercial centers opening around the city. The city had an official population of 174,512 inhabitants and the municipality had 181,438 at the census of 2005. However, the Poza Rica metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...

, which includes the municipalities of Papantla
Papantla
Papantla is a city and municipality located in the north of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, in the Sierra Papanteca range and on the Gulf of Mexico. The city was founded in the 13th century by the Totonacs and has dominated the Totonacapan region of the state since then...

, Tihuatlán, and Coatzintla
Coatzintla
Coatzintla is a municipality in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in the north zone of the State of Veracruz, about from the state capital Xalapa. It covers an area of...

, showed a total population of 458,330.

Main Attractions

Poza Rica is close to the Costa Esmeralda
Costa Esmeralda
The Costa Esmeralda is the stretch of beaches which run north from Veracruz to the mouth of the Rio Tecolutla near the town of Tecolutla on the Gulf coast of Mexico.-External links:*...

, the northern beaches of Veracruz, such as Tecolutla, Tuxpan
Tuxpan
Tuxpan is both a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The population of the city was 78,523 and of the municipality was 134,394 inhabitants, according to the INEGI census of 2005, residing in a total area of 1,051.89 km²...

, Cazones and Playa Esmeralda and because of its hotel and metropolitan infrastructure it is convenient for staying in a comfortable city.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of El Tajin
El Tajín
El Tajín is a pre-Columbian archeological site and was the site of one of the largest and most important cities of the Classic era of Mesoamerica. The city flourished from 600 to 1200 C.E. and during this time numerous temples, palaces, Mesoamerican ballcourts and pyramids were built...

 is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) away.
It has a downtown area which provides a good shopping experience.
It has a local famous height called "El cerro del abuelo" where it's possible to see the whole city and its "quemadores", big petroleum burners which were used to light the city in the early years. There are few of them at the present time.
Every year there is a holiday called "Desfile del 18 de marzo" (March 18 Parade) which commemorates Mexican oil expropriation and has two beautiful parades, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
It is a city with a predominantly young population.

Mexico's only nuclear power plant (Laguna Verde
Laguna Verde nuclear power plant
Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant is located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, in Alto Lucero, Veracruz, Mexico. It is the largest nuclear power plant in Mexico and produces about 4.5% of the country's electrical energy. LVNPP has an original installed capacity of 1,365 megawatts...

) is about 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) away, near the state's capital city of Xalapa
Xalapa
Xalapa-Enríquez, commonly Xalapa or Jalapa, is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the year 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which it serves as municipal seat reported a population of...

, Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...

.

External links

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