Geography
The State of Mexico covers 22,357 km², only the 25th-largest state, but holds 16,992,418 people — more than any other entity and about one in seven Mexicans. It is shaped like a horseshoe around Mexico City, which it encloses on three sides, and it spans two high basins separated by the Sierra de las Cruces. The eastern arm takes in the northern half of the Valley of Mexico and carries almost all of the state's population; the western arm is the Toluca valley, at about 2,660 m one of the highest large inhabited valleys in North America.
The Nevado de Toluca, or Xinantécatl, rises to roughly 4,680 m south-west of the capital and holds two crater lakes, the Lago del Sol and the Lago de la Luna, reached by a road that climbs almost to the rim. On the eastern boundary the Sierra Nevada carries Iztaccíhuatl (5,215 m) and Popocatépetl (5,426 m), both shared with Puebla; Popocatépetl has been in continuous low-level eruption since 1994 and is monitored by CENAPRED. The Río Lerma rises at Almoloya del Río, just south of Toluca, and leaves the state north-westwards on its way to Lake Chapala — the head of Mexico's longest internal river system.
South of the volcanic belt the land falls steeply into the Balsas depression, the Tierra Caliente around Tejupilco and Amatepec, where the altitude drops below 1,000 m and the climate is hot and dry. In between sits Valle de Bravo, a reservoir town at 1,830 m dammed in 1947; its water feeds the Cutzamala system, which pumps a third of Mexico City's supply more than 1,000 m uphill.
Main cities
Twelve municipalities in the state pass half a million people, and almost all of them are dormitory cities inside the Mexico City conurbation rather than towns in their own right. Ecatepec is the most populous municipality in the country. Toluca's own metropolitan area, separate from the capital's, holds about 2.3 million. Figures are INEGI 2020 municipal counts.
| Municipality | Population (2020) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ecatepec de Morelos | 1,645,352 | Most populous municipality in Mexico |
| Nezahualcóyotl | 1,077,208 | Built on the drained bed of Lake Texcoco |
| Toluca | 910,608 | Capital; 2,660 m, TLC airport |
| Naucalpan de Juárez | 834,434 | North-west of the capital; industry |
| Chimalhuacán | 705,193 | Eastern edge of the conurbation |
| Tlalnepantla de Baz | 672,202 | Split into two non-contiguous parts |
| Cuautitlán Izcalli | 555,163 | Planned satellite city, founded 1973 |
| Ixtapaluca | 542,211 | South-east, on Highway 150D |
| Atizapán de Zaragoza | 523,296 | North-west suburbs |
| Tultitlán | 520,557 | North; near Felipe Ángeles airport |
Neighbouring states
Eight neighbours, more than most states. Clockwise from the north: Querétaro, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero, Michoacán, plus Mexico City enclosed within it. The Tlaxcala border is a short stretch in the north-east near Calpulalpan; the Puebla border follows the crest of the Sierra Nevada between the two volcanoes; the Guerrero and Michoacán borders run through the hot Balsas country in the south-west. The state is the core of Central Mexico and its northern edge touches El Bajío.
Getting there
Toluca International (TLC) is 5 km south-east of the capital and handles domestic flights plus charter traffic; it is also the closest airport to the western side of Mexico City. Felipe Ángeles International (NLU) opened in March 2022 at Santa Lucía, in the municipality of Zumpango about 45 km north of Mexico City, and is the state's second scheduled airport. Most international arrivals still use Mexico City's Benito Juárez (MEX), which lies just across the boundary. The airports map lists the codes.
By road, Highway 15D links Mexico City to Toluca in 65 km, about an hour and ten minutes outside peak hours, and continues west towards Morelia and Guadalajara. Highway 57D crosses the north of the state on the way to Querétaro; Highway 132D runs north-east from Mexico City past Teotihuacán, the largest pre-Hispanic city in the Americas and a UNESCO site since 1987; Highway 55 runs south from Toluca to Ixtapan de la Sal and Taxco; and Highway 134 crosses the Tierra Caliente towards Zihuatanejo. Valle de Bravo is 145 km from Mexico City, about two and a half hours by Highway 15D and a mountain road. See the road map and the volcanoes map.
Questions about the State of Mexico
Where is the State of Mexico on the map of Mexico?
In the centre of the country, wrapped around Mexico City on its north, west and east sides. Toluca, the capital, is 65 km west of the capital's centre on Highway 15D.
What is the difference between Mexico City and the State of Mexico?
They are two separate federal entities. Mexico City has 16 alcaldías and is the national capital; the State of Mexico is a state with 125 municipalities and its own capital at Toluca. In Spanish the state is called Estado de México or simply Edomex to keep them apart.
Which is the most populous state in Mexico?
The State of Mexico, with 16,992,418 people in the 2020 census — about one in every seven Mexicans, and roughly twice the population of Mexico City itself.
How do you get to Teotihuacán?
The site is 45 km north-east of Mexico City in the municipalities of Teotihuacán and San Martín de las Pirámides, about an hour by road via Highway 132D. Buses run from the Terminal del Norte. See the archaeological sites map.