New Mexico

New Mexico (Spanish pronunciation: Nuevo Mexico [‘nwebo ’mexiko] (listen); Navajo name: Yooto Hahoodzo [joho:tso]), is a state located in the Southwestern United States. It is located in the Mountain States of southern Rocky Mountains. It borders Texas to the east and southeast, Oklahoma, Oklahoma to northeast, and the Mexican states Chihuahua, Sonora, and Sonora to its south. The state capital is Santa Fe, which is the oldest capital in the U.S., founded in 1610 as the government seat of Nuevo Mexico in New Spain; the largest city is Albuquerque. It was made a state in 1912.

New Mexico is the fifth largest state, but it has just over 2.1million residents. It ranks 36th in population, and 46th in density. Its climate and geography are highly varied, ranging from forested mountains to sparse deserts; the northern and eastern regions exhibit a colder alpine climate, while the west and south are warmer and more arid; the Rio Grande and its fertile valley runs from north-to-south, creating a riparian climate through the center of the state that supports a bosque habitat and distinct Albuquerque Basin climate. One-third of New Mexico’s land is federally owned, and the state hosts many protected wilderness areas and national monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the most of any state.