State (pop., 2000: 3,985,667), southwestern Mexico.
It covers 23,138 sq mi (59,928 sq km), and its capital is Morelia . Bounded by the Pacific Ocean, it rises from a narrow coastal plain to the Sierra Madre . Important cities include Morelia, Uruapan, Zamora, and Pátzcuaro. In the 1530s the Dominican Vasco de Quiroga established the first successful missions among the Tarascan Indians around Lake Pátzcuaro. The state lies in an area of great volcanic activity; Mount Jorullo was formed by an eruption in 1759, and Parícutin was created by an eruption that lasted nearly a decade (1943–52). Michoacán produces a wide range of forest products and tropical crops.