The New Student's Reference Work/Yucatan

Yucatan (yōō' k&#0550;-tän), a peninsula of Mexico, bounded on the west and north by the Gulf of Mexico, on the east by the Caribbean Sea and on the south by Guatemala. It comprises the states of Yucatan and Campeche. The eastern coast is indented with numerous bays, some forming excellent harbors. The face of the country is low and level, except in the east, where a chain of hills extends from northeast to southwest. The only important river is the Usumasinta. The soil in some portions is very fertile, yielding abundant crops of maize, rice, tobacco, sugar-cane and other agricultural products. According to a law that now is enforced education is free and compulsory. The primary schools, though mainly supported by the states and cities, receive governmental grants, and there are secondary schools, seminaries and colleges for higher education. The area of the peninsula is 53,290 square miles. Population of the peninsula 422,815. Merida, the capital of Yucatan, has a population of 61,999.