Geography
Sinaloa is a ribbon 57,377 km² in area, 600 km long and rarely more than 150 km wide, with 3,026,943 inhabitants at the 2020 census — 17th by population and 18th by area. The Sierra Madre Occidental forms the eastern edge, climbing to about 2,500 m on the Durango border; the western edge is a low coastal plain of lagoons, sandbars and mangrove. The Tropic of Cancer crosses the state just north of Mazatlán, so the south is tropical and the north is dry and hot.
Eleven rivers come down off the sierra — the Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mocorito, Culiacán, San Lorenzo, Elota, Piaxtla, Quelite, Presidio, Baluarte and Cañas — and almost all of them are dammed. The reservoirs feed some of the largest irrigation districts in Mexico, which is why Sinaloa grows more maize than any other state and supplies most of the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers that reach the United States in winter. The coastal lagoons at Altata, Ceuta and Huizache support shrimp farming; Topolobampo, a deep natural harbour near Los Mochis, and Mazatlán are the two commercial ports. In the far south the Marismas Nacionales mangroves continue into Nayarit.
The sierra behind Badiraguato, Cosalá and Concordia is thinly settled pine and oak country cut by deep barrancas, and El Fuerte in the north is the starting point of the Chihuahua–Pacific railway, the Chepe, which climbs from the coast to the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua.
The climate is hot and seasonal. Rain falls almost entirely between July and October, when the North American monsoon reaches the coast, and Pacific hurricanes occasionally come ashore in September and October — Willa crossed near Escuinapa in 2018. Winter is dry and warm, which is what makes the vegetable harvest possible and brings the resort season to Mazatlán between November and April. The state was one of the first parts of the Pacific coast the Spanish reached, in the 1530s, and its old mining towns — El Rosario, Cosalá, Copala — sit in the foothills, while the modern population is concentrated on the irrigated plain along Highway 15.
Main cities
| Municipality | Population (2020) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Culiacán | 1,003,530 | State capital; largest city in the state |
| Mazatlán | 501,441 | Resort, cruise port and shrimp fleet |
| Ahome (Los Mochis) | 449,215 | Copper Canyon train, Topolobampo port |
| Guasave | 295,353 | Irrigated farming on Highway 15 |
| Navolato | 149,141 | Sugar and vegetables west of Culiacán |
| El Fuerte | 92,000 | Colonial town, start of the Chepe railway |
| Sinaloa (Sinaloa de Leyva) | 82,000 | Gives the state its name |
| Salvador Alvarado (Guamúchil) | 79,085 | Farm-service town, central Sinaloa |
| Escuinapa | 60,000 | Mango growing; Teacapán lagoon |
| El Rosario | 51,000 | Old silver town south of Mazatlán |
The state had 18 municipalities at the 2020 census; Eldorado was separated from Culiacán afterwards. The last five figures above are rounded.
Neighbouring states
Sinaloa has four land neighbours: Sonora to the north-west across the Fuerte lowlands, Chihuahua to the north-east along the crest of the sierra, Durango to the east, and Nayarit to the south at the Río Cañas. Across the Gulf of California lies Baja California Sur, linked by two car ferries. The state opens the Pacific Coast and its eastern third belongs to the Sierra Madre.
Getting there
Mazatlán (MZT) is the busiest airport, with direct flights from a dozen US and Canadian cities; Culiacán (CUL) is mainly domestic, and Los Mochis (LMM) serves the north. The airports map lists the codes. Ferries sail from Mazatlán and from Topolobampo to Pichilingue near La Paz, taking about twelve and seven hours.
Federal Highway 15D runs the length of the state as a four-lane toll road, from the Sonora line through Los Mochis, Guasave, Culiacán and Mazatlán into Nayarit. Highway 40D, opened in 2013, crosses the Sierra Madre from Mazatlán to Durango in about three hours and carries the Baluarte Bicentenario bridge, 403 m above the river and the tallest cable-stayed bridge in the world when it was built. From Mexico City, Mazatlán is about 1,050 km and 12 hours and Culiacán about 1,260 km and 14 hours. See the road map and the beaches map.
Questions about Sinaloa
Where is Sinaloa on the map of Mexico?
On the Pacific side of northern Mexico, a long strip between the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Gulf of California. It borders Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango and Nayarit, and faces Baja California Sur across the gulf.
How far is Mazatlán from Mexico City?
About 1,050 km by road, roughly 12 hours, using Highway 15D to Guadalajara and Highway 40D over the Sierra Madre from Durango. Flights take about an hour and forty minutes.
What is Sinaloa known for?
Irrigated farming — it is Mexico's leading producer of maize and of tomatoes and other winter vegetables sold in the United States — plus shrimp and tuna fishing out of Mazatlán and Topolobampo, banda music, and the Chihuahua–Pacific railway that starts at Los Mochis.
Is Sinaloa safe to visit?
The US State Department has kept Sinaloa in its highest advisory tier for several years, with a stated exception for Mazatlán when reached by air or on Highway 15D in daylight and stayed in the tourist areas. Check the current advisory before you travel.