Coahuila

Coahuila is responsible for more than a third of Mexico’s steel production. Since the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, the state’s automobile industry has burgeoned. Thanks to this rapid growth, the state has become a major auto-manufacturing center similar to the U.S. city of Detroit. Today, over 200 area maquiladoras (assembly plants) are dedicated to metal stamping, engine production and vehicle assembly.

The state’s primary crop is cotton, followed by potatoes, grapes, watermelon, apples, alfalfa, wheat, oats, corn, sorghum, nuts and dairy products. Coahuila is also home to Mexico’s only coal production center.