Infrastructure
The road system in the state contains 16,039 km (9,966.2 mi), representing 5.1% of the roads nationwide. For each 100 km2 (38.6 sq mi) of territory, there are 22 km (13.7 mi) of roads. 3,144.5 km (1,953.9 mi) are part of the federal highway system. State roads comprise 2,176 km (1,352.1 mi) with the rest maintained by local authorities. There are over 3,000 km (1,864.1 mi) of rural roads, but only 71.5 km (44.4 mi) are paved.
The state contains 1,675.3 km (1,041.0 mi) of railway. Most of this is conceded by the federal government to private companies, with strategic stretches maintained directly by the government. Some of the private companies include Kansas City Southern de México and Ferrosur. These lines are used almost exclusively for the transportation of freight, which in 1999 added up to 37 million tons. Three rail line serve the port of Veracruz exclusively. One is dedicated to the port of Coatzacalcos.
The ports of Veracruz are Tuxpan, Veracruz, Coatzacalcos, Pajaritos, Minatitlán-Nanchital, Tecolutla, Nautla, Alvarado and Tlacotalpan. The first three are the ports for heavy cargo ships, with Veracruz the most important of the three. The others are small ports for small ships, fishing boats and tourism. All ports are operated privately with the exception of Pajaritos, which is operated by PEMEX. Port traffic in Veracruz account for 10% of all commercial traffic in the country, 23.4% of the port traffic of Mexico and 21% of all port traffic in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Goods imported through the state reach 16 out of Mexico’s 31 states plus Mexico City. The port of Veracruz alone handles over 12 million tons of freight per year. Coatzacoalcos is important for its handling of petroleum products.
The state contains three major airports. “El Tajín” in Tihuatlán serving Poza Rica and “Canticas” in Minatitlán provide national service. “Heriberto Jara Corona” in the city of Veracruz provides national and international service. There are also 31 smaller regional airfields in municipalities such as Acayucán, Cazones de Herrera, Córdoba, Cuitlahuac, Juán Rodríguez Clara, Ozuluama, Platón Sánchez, Playa Vicente, Soconusco, Tamalín, Tamiahua, Tecolutla, Temapache, Tempoal and Tierra Blanca.
There are 59 local newspapers and 40 magazines published in the state. These include the Diario de Xalapa, El Dictamen, El Sol del Centro and la Opinión de Minatitlán. There are 202 radio stations (57 AM, 35 FM). Most are commercial or private but some are operated by non-profits and governmental agencies. There are 22 television stations; two channels are local, and the rest are repeaters from national broadcasters. Five companies provide cable and satellite television. Telmex controls over 75% of the telephone service in the state.
Read more about this topic: Veracruz