New Mexico

State in southwestern USA, bordered in the north by Colorado, to the east by Oklahoma, to the east and south by Texas, to the south by Mexico, and to the west by Arizona; its northwest corner borders Arizona, Utah, and Colorado at the ‘Four Corners’; area 314,311 sq km/121,356 sq mi; population (2006) 1,954,600; capital Santa Fe, the oldest capital city in the USA. New Mexico is known for its rich heritage and stunningly diverse landscapes – all the major biomes of the world, with the exception of the tropical rainforest, are found in the state. The state's most important river is the Rio Grande. The service industry and tourism are important elements in the economy of New Mexico, as are agriculture, mining, and the manufacture of electronic equipment. Major towns and cities include Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho, Roswell, and Farmington. The upper region of the Rio Grande was called Nuevo Mexico as early as 1561, becoming New Mexico after it was ceded to the USA following the Mexican War (1846–48). Home to the Pueblo Indians, Apache, and Navajo peoples, the state still has many traces of its early history, from prehistoric artefacts and adobe dwellings (made of sun-dried earth bricks), to remnants of pre-Columbian and Spanish architecture, making it a major tourist destination. New Mexico was admitted to the Union in 1912 as the 47th US state.