Baja California Peninsula

This article is about the peninsula in North America. For gion that became parts of the present-day U.S. states of
other uses, see Baja California (disambiguation).
California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado
and Wyoming.
Coordinates:
113.500W

2800N

11330W

28.000N

1.1 Timeline

The Baja California Peninsula (English: Lower California Peninsula, Spanish: Pennsula de Baja California)
is a peninsula in Northwestern Mexico. Its land mass
separates the Pacic Ocean from the Gulf of California.
The peninsula extends 1,247 kilometres (775 mi) from
Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas,
Baja California Sur in the south. It ranges for 40 kilometres (25 mi) at its narrowest to 320 kilometres (200 mi)
at its widest point and has approximately 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) of coastline and approximately 65 islands.
The total area of the Baja California Peninsula is 143,390
square kilometres (55,360 sq mi).

1532: Hernn Corts sends three ships North along

the coast of Mexico in search of the Island of California. The three ships disappear without a trace.
1533: Corts sends a follow-up mission to search for
the lost ships. Pilot Fortn Ximnez leads a mutiny
and founds a settlement in the Bay of La Paz before
being killed.
1539: Francisco de Ulloa explores both coasts.
1690s rst decade of the 18th century: Spanish
settlement and colonization in lower Las Californias
(Baja California peninsula), the rst Spanish missions in Baja California are established by Jesuit missionaries.

The peninsula is separated from mainland Mexico by the

Gulf of California and the Colorado River. There are
four main desert areas on the peninsula: the San Felipe
Desert, the Central Coast Desert, the Vizcano Desert and
the Magdalena Plain Desert.

1701: The rst report and a map showing California

as a peninsula rather than an island is sent to Europe.
1767: Jesuits expelled; Franciscans take over the
Baja missions.

History

1769: Franciscans go with the Portola expedition to

establish new missions in Alta California. Control of
the existing Baja missions passes to the Dominican
Order.

See also: Origin of the name California

The land of California existed as a myth among European
explorers before it was discovered. The earliest known
mention of the idea of California was in the 1510 romance novel Las Sergas de Esplandin by Spanish author
Garci Rodrguez de Montalvo. The book described the
Island of California as being west of the Indies, very
close to the side of the Terrestrial Paradise; and it is peopled by black women, without any man among them, for
they live in the manner of Amazons.

1773: Francisco Palu's line demarcates Franciscan

and Dominican areas of mission control.
1804: Las Californias divided into Alta (Upper)
and Baja (Lower) California, using Palus line.
18101821: Mexican War of Independence
1821: First Mexican Empire, Baja California Territory established, covering Baja California Peninsula.

Following Hernn Corts' conquest of Mexico, the lure

of an earthly paradise as well as the search for the fabled
Strait of Anin, helped motivate him to send several expeditions to the west coast of New Spain in the 1530s
and early 1540s. Its rst expedition reached the Gulf of
California and California, and proved the Island of California was in fact a peninsula. Nevertheless, the idea of
the island persisted for well over a century and was included in many maps. The Spaniards gave the name Las
Californias to the peninsula and lands to the north, including both Baja California and Alta California, the re-

1847: The Battle of La Paz and the Siege of La Paz

occurs, as well as several other engagements.
1848: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo cedes Alta California to the United States. As a U.S. territory it receives the California Gold Rush, causing increased
maritime trac along the peninsula.
1850: California admitted to U.S. statehood.
1

3
1853: William Walker, with 45 men, captures the
capital city of La Paz and declares himself President
of the Republic of Lower California. Mexico forces
him to retreat a few months later.

GEOLOGY

In 1931 Baja California Territory was divided into northern and southern territories. In 1952, the North Territory of Baja California became the 29th State of Mexico
as Baja California. In 1974, the South Territory of Baja
California became the 31st state as Baja California Sur.

193031: The Territory of Baja California is further divided into Northern and Southern territories
(North Territory of Baja California & South Terri- 2.1
tory of Baja California).

Baja California

1952: The North Territory of Baja California becomes the 29th State of Mexico, Baja California.
The southern portion, below 28N, remains a federally administered territory.
1973: The 1,700 km (1,100 mi) long TransPeninsular Highway (Mexican Federal Highway 1),
is nished. It is the rst paved road that spans the
entire peninsula. The highway was built by the Mexican government to improve Baja Californias economy and increase tourism.[1]
1974: The South Territory of Baja California becomes the 31st state, Baja California Sur.

Political divisions

Isla Partida, which is part of the San Lorenzo Marine

Archipelago National Park

The northern part is the state of Baja California.[2] The

citizens of Baja California are named bajacalifornianos
(Lower Californians in English). Mexicali is the capital.

2.2 Baja California Sur

Mexico in 1854, with Baja California Territory in gray (left)

The province of The Californias was united until 1804, in Port of Cabo San Lucas
the Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain, when it
was divided into Alta (upper) and Baja (lower) California. The southern part, below 28 north, is the state of Baja
California Sur. The citizens of Baja California Sur
The two Californias division was kept after Mexican
are named sudcalifornianos (South Californians in Enindependence in 1821. The Spanish Baja California
glish). La Paz is its capital.
Province became Mexican Baja California Territory, and
remained a separate territory until 1836. In 1836, the
Siete Leyes constitutional reforms reunited both Californias in the Departamento de las Californias. After 1848, 3 Geology
the Baja California Peninsula again became a Mexican
territory when Alta California was ceded to the United See also: Peninsular Ranges
States (see 1854 map).

3
The Baja California Peninsula was once a part of the
North American Plate, the tectonic plate of which mainland Mexico remains a part. About 12 to 15 million
years ago the East Pacic Rise began cutting into the
margin of the North American Plate, initiating the separation of the peninsula from it. Spreading within the
Gulf of California consists of short oblique rifts or ridge
segments connected by long northwest trending transform
faults,[3] which together comprise the Gulf of California
Rift Zone. The north end of the rift zone is located in
the Brawley seismic zone in the Salton Sea basin between
the Cerro Prieto Fault and the San Andreas Fault.[3] The
Baja California Peninsula is now part of the Pacic Plate
and is moving with it away from the East Pacic Rise in
a north northwestward direction.
Baja California as seen in April 1984, from the bay of a Space
Along the coast north of Santa Rosalia, Baja California
Sur is a prominent volcanic activity area.
Volcanoes of the peninsula and adjacent islands
include:[4]
Volcanoes of east-central Baja California
and
Cerro Prieto
The San Quintn Volcanic Field
Isla San Luis
Jaraguay Volcanic Field
Coronado
Guadalupe
San Borja Volcanic Field
El Aguajito
Tres Vrgenes
Isla Tortuga
Comond-La Pursima

Geography

Shuttle (STS 41)

The Sierra de Jurez is the northernmost range in

Mexico.
The Sierra San Pedro Mrtir runs south of the Sierra
Juarez and includes the peninsulas highest peak, the
Picacho del Diablo.
The Sierra de San Borja runs south of the Sierra San
Pedro Martir.
The volcanic complex of Tres Virgenes lies in Baja
California Sur, near the border with the state of Baja
California, forming the ranges south of the Sierra de
San Borja.
The Sierra de la Giganta runs along the shore of the
Gulf of California south of the Tres Virgenes complex.
At the south end of Baja California Sur, the Sierra de
la Laguna forms an isolated mountain range rising to
2406 m.
Another isolated range, the Sierra Vizcaino, juts out
into the Pacic between Punta Eugenia and Punta
Abreojos.
The two most prominent capes along the Pacic coastline
of the peninsula are Punta Eugenia, located about halfway
up the coast, and Cabo San Lazaro, located about a quarter of the way north from Cabo San Lucas.
The Bahia Sebastian Vizcaino, the largest bay in Baja,
lies along the Pacic coast halfway up the peninsula. The
large island of Isla Cedros is situated between the bay and
the Pacic, just north of Punta Eugenia. Onshore southeast of the bay is the Desierto de Vizcaino, an extensive
desert lying between the Sierra Vizcaino to the west, and
the Tres Virgenes range which runs along the Gulf of California to the east.

See also: Category:Natural history of Baja California Sur

and Category: Geography of Baja California
The Peninsular Ranges form the backbone of the peninsula. They are an uplifted and eroded Jurassic to
Cretaceous batholith, part of the same original batholith
chain which formed much of the Sierra Nevada mountains in U.S. California. This chain was formed primarily The largest bays along the coastline of the Gulf are Bahia
as a result of the subduction of the Farallon Plate millions de La Paz where the city of La Paz is located, and Bahia
of years ago all along the margin of North America.
Concepcion. The Baha de los ngeles is a small bay

located west of the Canal de las Ballenas which separates the Baja California peninsula from the large island
of Angel de la Guarda in the Gulf of California.

EXTERNAL LINKS

7 See also
Gulf of California Rift Zone
Spanish missions in Baja California

Ecoregions
See also: Category: Flora of Baja California and
Category: Flora of Baja California Sur

The Californias

8 References

The peninsula is home to several distinct ecoregions.

Most of the peninsula is deserts and xeric shrublands, al- Notes
though pine-oak forests are found in the mountains at the
northern and southern ends of the peninsula. The south- [1] Barkenbus, Jack, The Trans-Peninsular Highway: A New
Era for Baja California, Journal of Interamerican Studies
ern tip of the peninsula, which was formerly an island,
and World Aairs, Vol. 16, No. 3. (Aug., 1974), pp.
has many species with anities to tropical Mexico.
259273.

California chaparral and woodlands, which covers

the Mediterranean climate northwestern corner of
the peninsula, as well as Cedros and Guadalupe islands.
Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir pine-oak forests
in the upper reaches of the Sierra Jurez and Sierra
San Pedro Mrtir ranges in the northern peninsula.
The Sonoran Desert extends into the northeastern
portion of the state, east of the Sierra Jurez and
Sierra San Pedro Mrtir ranges.

[2] Baja California, it is sometimes informally referred to

as Baja California Norte, to distinguish it from both the
Baja California Peninsula, of which it covers the northern half, and the adjacent state Baja California Sur that
covers the southern half of the peninsula. While it is a
well-established term for the northern half of the Baja California Peninsula, however, its usage would not be correct,
because Baja California Norte has never existed as a political designation for a state, territory, district or region.
[3] http://fire.biol.wwu.edu/trent/alles/
GeologySaltonTrough.pdf Alles, David L., Geology
of the Salton Trough,

The Baja California Desert extends east of the

Peninsular Ranges along the Pacic side of the [4] http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/region.cfm?rnum=
peninsula for most of its length, and includes the
1401 Volcanoes of Mxico and Central America
El Vizcano Desert and El Vizcano Biosphere Reserve.
Sources
The Gulf of California xeric scrub extends along the
Gulf of California side of the peninsula for most of
Baja California State Government: History
its length.
San Lucan xeric scrub lies in the lowlands of the
peninsulas southern tip.
Sierra de la Laguna dry forests are found on the
lower slopes of the Sierra de la Laguna.
Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests are found at
higher elevations in the Sierra de la Laguna.
The Baha de los ngeles Biosphere Reserve

Tourism

The peninsula is known colloquially as Baja by American and Canadian tourists, and is renowned for its natural beauty and pristine environment. It draws ecotourists
who go whale watching for migrating California Gray
Whales as well as tourists that arrive to the Baja California
Gold Coast and resorts on the southern tip of the Peninsula. Its location between the North Pacic and Gulf of
California give it a reputation for good sports shing.

9 External links
Hawes, J. W. (1879). "California, Lower". The
American Cyclopdia.
"California, Lower". Encyclopdia Britannica (11th
ed.). 1911.

10
10.1

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