BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR

state, northwestern Mexico, occupying the southern half of the Baja California peninsula. It is bounded on the north by the state of Baja California, east by the Gulf of California, and west and south by the Pacific Ocean. The central and eastern parts of its 28,369-square-mile (73,475-square-kilometre) territory are dominated by volcanoes. The area, declared a federal district in 1887, redesignated a federal territory in 1931, and made a state in 1974, is sparsely populated and remains relatively neglected. Much new acreage of cotton, irrigated by deep wells, has been planted near La Paz (q.v.), the capital, and on the Magdalena plain around Villa Constitucin. Olives and sugarcane are also produced. Industry has been confined to the processing of cotton by-products, fish-packing plants, and saltworks. The Boleo copper deposits at Santa Rosala, exploited by a French company (18841953), are being worked on a reduced scale with government subsidy. Cattle raising and subsistence agriculture are the mainstays in isolated areas. Tourism is an important source of income. Improved communications are slowly alleviating the isolation of the state. A road extending the entire length of the Baja California peninsula connecting Tijuana and Cabo San Lucas was opened in the mid-1970s. A paved road north from La Paz to Ensenada was opened in the late 1970s, and a car ferry between La Paz and Mazatln, across the gulf in the state of Sinaloa, was inaugurated earlier, in 1965. Harbour facilities were improved at Magdalena Bay (Puerto San Carlos) and La Paz (Pichilingui Harbour). La Paz is served by domestic airlines. Pop. (1985 est.) 279,299.