Baja California is one of the 31 states of
Mexico. Most of the state is a
peninsula, bordered on the north by the
United States, the west by the
Pacific Ocean, the east by
Sonora and the
Sea of Cortez, and the south by
Baja California Sur.
The state has a population of 2.6 million (2001 estimate), over 75% of whom live in the cities of Tijuana and Mexicali[?], the state capital.
- 1804: The Spanish colony of California is divided into Alta ("high") and Baja ("low") California at the line separating the Franciscan missions in the north from the Dominican missions in the south.
- In 1850, after Alta California has been annexed by the United States to become the US state of California, Baja California is further divided into northern and southern territories.
- 1952: Northern Baja California becomes the 29th state of Mexico.