Empalme is a city surrounded by a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

located on the south-central coast of the Mexican state of Sonora. According to the 2005 census the population of the city was 40,630 inhabitants, while the municipality, which has an area of 708.53 km² (273.56 sq mi), reported 50,663 inhabitants. Except for its

coastline The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

on the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortes), the municipality is entirely surrounded by the much larger municipality of

Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the U.S. border. The municipality is located on the Gulf of Cali ...

. In

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, the word ''empalme'' means "junction". At first, the community site was called ''Kilómetro Nueve'' because it was nine kilometers out of the port city of

. Then for a while it was called ''El Empalme'' meaning ''the junction''. The ''El'' was soon dropped. Unlike other towns or cities in Mexico, Empalme was built completely by foreigners, specifically the Utah Construction Company under contract to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Very few native materials were used in the construction. The founders owned a major railroad, affording easy transportation of materials and personnel. The purpose of the settlement was to provide repair facilities for SP operations in Mexico, with a large shop and roundhouse. They still exist today, although unused; repair and maintenance now being done in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Hundreds of the homes built originally still exist in Empalme, their design and materials unchanged. One native feature that the developers used was the planting of hundreds of ''

Ficus microcarpa ''Ficus microcarpa'', also known as Chinese banyan, Malayan banyan, Indian laurel, curtain fig, or , is a tree in the fig family Moraceae. It is native in a range from China through tropical Asia and the Caroline Islands to Australia. It is wide ...

'' known locally as the ''Yucateco'' brought from southern Mexico. It grows to heights exceeding 100 feet. Their common name implies that they are native to the state of

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate mun ...

. These trees were well suited for the hot, humid climate of Empalme. They are still probably the most easily recognized feature of the town. In many places they cover entire streets for several blocks so that streets appear to be passing through a tunnel.

Climate

Empalme experiences a

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...

with warm winters and hot summers.

Economy

The economy of Empalme is based on agriculture,

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

ranching,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and small industries. The salty soil and lack of water makes agriculture difficult. Main crops are

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a " pepo". Th ...

, and

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

. Cattle raising is modest with the 2000 census reporting more than 9,000 head. With its 30 kilometer coastline there is fishing with hauls of shrimp,

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

, crab, and octopus, among others. Pollution and the heating of the ocean water due to the thermal electric plant of Batuecas have reduced the local catches in recent years

There is an industrial area nearby with small transformation industries. The main employer in the town continues to be the railroad repair facilities, which employed over 3,000 workers in 2000

The Conurbation Zoning Plan for Guaymas & Empalme has included a Maritime Port & Industrial zone on the county coastline that will help to grow import & export cargos from local producers in Sonora, as well as a deep sea port for the Southwestern United States for energy products. The company Omanor S. A. is developing a $200 million US Dollar Hydrocarbon Fluids Marine Terminal to receive oil products for regional distribution. In the tourist sector there is potential in the long coastline of sandy beaches, which has not yet been developed.

Government

Municipal presidents

References

Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005
INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Sonora
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

Notes

External links

Ayuntamiento de Empalme
Official website {{coord, 27, 57, 42, N, 110, 48, 45, W, region:MX_type:city(49987), display=title Populated places in Sonora