n.
formerly Baja California Norte
State (pop., 2000: 2,487,367), northern Baja California peninsula, northwestern Mexico.
It covers an area of 27,071 sq mi (70,114 sq km), and its capital is Mexicali . Although long inhabited, it remained sparsely populated until the 1950s, when it experienced phenomenal growth. This was partly because of its proximity to the U.S. border; numerous foreign companies have established assembly oriented factories (maquiladoras) in the region, a trend accelerated by the establishment of NAFTA in 1994.