Yucatán Peninsula, Peninsula, northeastern Central America. It lies between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea; its 76,300-sq-mi (197,600-sq-km) territory includes the Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán and, in the south, large parts of Belize and Guatemala. It is about 200 mi (320 km) wide and has a coastline of about 700 mi (1,100 km). The area had long been home to many pre-Columbian civilizations before Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés traversed its inland portion in 1525. Spanish rule was subsequently established, but since that time many independent Maya Indians have kept to its inland rural areas and resisted the authority of the central government. Its coastal area, with many beaches and resorts, and its ancient archaeological sites, including Chichén Itzá, Uaxactún, and Uxmal, are major tourist destinations, as is the resort city of Cancún.
Yucatán Peninsula Article
Yucatán Peninsula summary
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Chichén Itzá Summary
Chichén Itzá, ruined ancient Maya city occupying an area of 4 square miles (10 square km) in south-central Yucatán state, Mexico. It is thought to have been a religious, military, political, and commercial center that at its peak would have been home to 35,000 people. The site first saw settlers in
North America Summary
North America, third largest of the world’s continents, lying for the most part between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer. It extends for more than 5,000 miles (8,000 km) to within 500 miles (800 km) of both the North Pole and the Equator and has an east-west extent of 5,000 miles. It