Guerrero - Geography, Climate and Nature

Geography, Climate and Nature

The state of Guerrero has a territory of 63,794 km2 (24,631 sq mi). The state borders the states of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Michoacán, Oaxaca and with the Pacific Ocean to the west. Geographically, the state is divided into three regions: La Montaña (mountains), Tierra Caliente (hot lands) of the northeast and La Costa (coast). La Montaña is mostly forested and is concentrated in the north and east of the state. Tierra Caliente and is situated in the lowlands along the Balsas River. This area also extends into Michoacán state and is called similarly. La Costa is divided into two subregions called Costa Chica and Costa Grande. The Costa Chica extends from Acapulco to the border with Oaxaca. Costa Grande extends west of Acapulco to the Balsas River. Much of the state’s current agriculture and livestock raising concentrated in La Costa as it is relatively flat.

Most of the state is covered in mountains of varying heights, with deep canyons with flat areas limited to small mesas and the coastline. Most of the mountains belong to the Sierra Madre del Sur. The exception is the mountains of the Taxco area which belong to the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and include the small mountain ranges of the Sierra de Sultepec, Sierra de Zacualpan and the Sierra de Zultepec. These are connected to the same volcanic system as the Nevado de Toluca.

The state’s climate is dominated by the rainy tropical areas and rainy temperate areas. The former has high temperatures above 18 °C (64.4 °F) year round and experiences most rain in the summer and early fall. Most of this is found near the coast under 2,000 m (6,562 ft) asl. In the higher elevations away from the coast in the Sierra Madre del Sur, the climate is temperate but also experiences the same pattern of rainfall. Most of the rain that falls in the state is produced from evaporation from the Pacific Ocean.

The coast extends for about 500 km (311 mi) and includes features such as the Balsas River delta, Mongles Point, Ixtapa Point, Zihuatanejo Bay, Ixtapa Island, Acapulco Bay, Apies Island, Islas Blancas, San Gabriel Island, Islas Frailes Blancos or Rocas de Potosi, Punta Gorda, and others. There are a number of lagoons along the coast including the Laguna de Potosi in Morro de Petatlán, Lagunas de Mitla, the Laguna de Nusco and the Laguna de Coyuca.

The Balsas River enters Guerrero from Puebla state where it is formed. Prior to reaching the town of Balsas, the river is called Mexcala, then Balsas to the ocean. The Nexapa River is a tributary of the upper portion of the Balsas. The Amacuzac River enters the state from the State of Mexico. It passes under the Grutas de Cacahuamilco, then reemerges to form part of the border between Guerrero and Morelos. The Tepecoacuilco or Huitzuco River forms within the state and is a tributary of the Balsas. The Cocula or Iguala River forms in the Taxco area and is one of the major drainages of this region. Other rivers in the state include the Cuetzala, the Alohuixtla, the Cutzamala, the Tlapaneco Huamuxtitlan, the Milpilla or Zumpango, the Río del Oro, the Zayulapa, the Huautla and the Río Unión.

The Middle America Trench lies in the Pacific Ocean, parallel to Guerrero's coast. This trench is a subduction zone, where the oceanic Cocos Plate is sliding under the continental North American Plate. Subduction zones can produce large earthquakes, like the 2012 Guerrero–Oaxaca earthquake on March 20, 2012.

Flora of the state is determined by altitude and climate. The higher mountain areas have forests of pine and oyamel fir, with amate, and other tropical trees found in the lower elevations. Tropical hardwoods are mostly found in the lower elevations near the coast. The state has a wide variety of wildlife from deer, small mammals, large numbers of birds and reptiles and insects.

Five terrestrial ecoregions extend across the state. The Southern Pacific dry forests lie on the southern slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur, extending from the coast up to 1400 meters elevation. The forests are predominantly deciduous during the long dry season. The Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests occupy the higher slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur. These forests harbor a great diversity of species, including many endemic orchids, butterflies, and birds. The Balsas dry forests lie in the basin of the Balsas River, north of the Sierra Madre del Sur, and are notable for the diversity of mammal species, including jaguarundi, coati, ocelot, and collared peccary. The northernmost part of the state includes portions of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests, which occupy the mountainous northern rim of the Balsas basin. The Mexican South Pacific mangroves are found in coastal lagoons along the coast of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Oaxaca.

The Parque Natural de Guerrero is a natural reserve located in the central valleys of the state, extending for about eighty kilometers squared. Most of the area is covered in pine and holm oak forests that covered the high altitude valleys of this region.