Location
The location of Chiapas in Mexico.
The location of Tapachula in Chiapas.
Statistics
Capital	Tapachula
Area	303 km² km² Ranked 21st
Population (2000 census)	300,600
ISO 3166-2 Postal abbr.	Tapachula, Mexico Tapachula.

Tapachula is a city in the Mexican state of Chiapas. It is located in southern part of the state, near the border with Guatemala, at 14.91° N 92.27° W. In 2004 the estimated population was 300,600 people. The city has one of the highest GDP per capita in Mexico, and is considered one of the top business and industrial cities of the nation. It is called the "Perla del Soconusco" which translated means the Pearl of the Soconusco. Walking through its streets resembles a chaotic mix of spanish and latin flavors, that altogether make the city shine into the sky. From the marimba sounds of downtown Tapachula, to the waves of its beaches and warmth of people in its suburbs. Shopping malls, Restaurants, Convention Centers, an International Airport and a Cruise Harbor are just examples of the potential of this small but vibrant city. Image File history File links Chiapas_in_Mexico. ... Chiapas is a state in the southeast of Mexico. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (858x790, 121 KB) Ubicación del municipio Tapachula en el estado de Chiapas. ... Tapachula is a city in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... Political division of Mexico The following table presents a listing of Mexicos 31 federal states (and its Federal District, officially not a state), ranked in order of their surface area. ... ISO 3166-2 is the second part of the ISO 3166 standard. ...

Tapachula's main attractions are:

• The colonial-era Temple of San Agustín
• The Archaeological Museum,
• The German houses and Haciendas,
• The variety of asian cuisine,
• The pyramids of Izapa
• The beach of San Benito
• The central park

Culture

The population mix is culturally diverse. From indios and mestizos, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, French and several others. The International Fair of Tapachula is celebrated during March with cattle agricultural and commercial exhibition.

Important newspapers are the Tapachultecan "El Orbe" and the Soconuscan "El Diario del Sur"; radio can be received from both Mexico and Guatemala.

Important politicians, scientists, and artists were born in Tapachula, like Fray Matías de Córdova and Amparo Montes. During the history of the city several foreign cultures had influence in the rich history of the city. The Germans came during the coffee boom and created German villages and haciendas where their ancestors live today, and haciendas like: Hamburgo, Bremen, Germania, etc. still remind us of the first Saxons of the area. The Japanese and the Chinese also left a strong influence in Tapachula, in the cuisine and arquitecture. They came to construct railroads and were the first Asian immigrants in Latin America. Italian, French and other expats descendants still live along the Spanish, Mestizo and Indians of the region.

Suburbs

Tapachula is a megacity that includes several suburbs incluiding beaches like Playa Linda,Puerto Madero, Viva Mexico a downtown Tapachula and even a Cruise Harbor named Puerto Chiapas (2005).

Education

The city is an examplary cultural hub, strong involvement of the government of Mexico is changing trends of literacy around this city. Although there are not that many universities, most majors are offered from law and accounting (UNACH, CEST), to medicine and civil engineering (IESCH, Tecnologico de Tapachula).