TAMIAHUA LAGOON

long coastal lagoon in Veracruz estado (state), eastern Mexico. An inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, it extends approximately 65 miles (105 km) southward from Tampico. A long, narrow, sandy peninsula from which Cape Rojo projects eastward shelters the 12-mile- (19-kilometre-) wide lagoon from the Gulf. Numerous islands, the largest of which are Idolo and Juana Ramrez, lie within the lagoon, which is navigable for shallow-draft vessels. The town of Tamiahua, an agricultural centre (sugarcane and fruit), lies on the mainland at the lagoon's southwestern end, and San Jernimo is on its western shore.