Coahuila facts for kids

Quick facts for kids State of Coahuila
Flag Coat of arms
Location within Mexico
Country	Mexico
Capital	Saltillo
Municipalities	38
Largest City	Saltillo
Area Ranked 3rd
• Total	149,982 km2 (57,908 sq mi)
Population  (2005)
• Total	2,495,200 (Ranked 17th)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
HDI (2004)	0.8284 - high Ranked 3rd
ISO 3166-2	MX-COA
Postal abbr.	Coah.
Website	Coahuila State Government

Coahuila officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico.

Coahuila borders the Mexican states of Nuevo León to the east, Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí to the south, and Durango and Chihuahua to the west.

To the north, Coahuila accounts for a 512 kilometres (318 mi) stretch of the Mexico–United States border, adjacent to the U.S. state of Texas along the course of the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte).

With an area of 151,563 square kilometres (58,519 sq mi), it is the nation's third-largest state. It comprises 38 municipalities (municipios). In 2010, Coahuila's population is 2,748,391 inhabitants.

The five largest cities in Coahuila are the state capital city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón, third largest is Monclova (a former state capital), fourth largest is Ciudad Acuña, and fifth largest is Piedras Negras.

History

The name Coahuila derives from native terms for the region, and has been known by variations such as Cuagüila and Cuauila. Some historians believe that this means “flying serpent”, “place of many trees”, or “place where serpents creep”.

The official name of the state is Coahuila de Zaragoza, in honor of General Ignacio Zaragoza.

Images for kids

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  Building at the Iberoamerican University

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  Saltillo, the capital of Coahuila.

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  Ciudad Acuña.

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  Monclova

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  Piedras Negras

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  Torreón

See also

In Spanish: Coahuila de Zaragoza para niños