New Mexico - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Mexico Nuevo México  (Spanish) Yootó Hahoodzo  (Navajo)
State
State of New Mexico Estado de Nuevo México  (Spanish)
Flag Seal
Nickname:  The Land of Enchantment
Motto:  Crescit eundo (English: It grows as it goes)
Anthem: "O Fair New Mexico" and "Así Es Nuevo México"
Map of the United States with New Mexico highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Nuevo México (1598–1848) New Mexico Territory (1850–1912)
Admitted to the Union	January 6, 1912 (47th)
Capital	Santa Fe
Largest city	Albuquerque
Largest metro and urban areas	Albuquerque Metropolitan Area
Government
• Governor	Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)
• Lieutenant Governor	Howie Morales (D)
Legislature	New Mexico Legislature
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	New Mexico Supreme Court
U.S. senators	Martin Heinrich (D) Ben Ray Luján (D)
U.S. House delegation	1: Melanie Stansbury (D) 2: Gabe Vasquez (D) 3: Teresa Leger Fernandez (D) (list)
Area
• Total	121,591[1] sq mi (314,915 km2)
• Land	121,298[1] sq mi (314,161 km2)
• Water	292[1] sq mi (757 km2)  0.24%
• Rank	5th
Dimensions
• Length	371 mi (596 km)
• Width	344 mi (552 km)
Elevation	5,701 ft (1,741 m)
Highest elevation (Wheeler Peak[2][3][Note 1])	13,161 ft (4,011.4 m)
Lowest elevation (Red Bluff Reservoir on Texas border[3][Note 1])	2,845 ft (868 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,117,522
• Rank	36th
• Density	17.2/sq mi (6.62/km2)
• Rank	45th
• Median household income	$51,945
• Income rank	45th
Demonym(s)	New Mexican (Spanish: Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)[4]
Language
• Official language	None
• Spoken language	English, Spanish (New Mexican), Navajo, Keres, Zuni[5]
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
USPS abbreviation	NM
ISO 3166 code	US-NM
Traditional abbreviation	N.M., N.Mex.
Latitude	31°20′ N to 37°N
Longitude	103° W to 109°3′ W
Website	nm.gov

New Mexico (Spanish: Nuevo México^{[Note 2][6]} [ˈnweβo ˈmexiko] (listen); Navajo: Yootó Hahoodzo Navajo pronunciation: [jòːtʰó hɑ̀hòːtsò]) is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States. It also borders Texas to the east and southeast, Oklahoma to the northeast, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora to the south.

New Mexico became a state on January 6, 1912, and became the 47th state accepted into the United States. The state capital is Santa Fe. Most of the people live in the biggest city, Albuquerque.

The climate for most of the state is generally semi-arid. In the summer it can be very hot in southern New Mexico. The temperature is sometimes over 100 °F (37.8 °C) with lows over 70 °F (21.1 °C). It occasionally snows in the northern part of the state in the winter. It is drier in the southern portion of the state, and it rarely snows. New Mexico is usually affected by the North American monsoon from mid-June to late September.

New Mexico is the long-time home of the Pueblo people, a group of Native Americans. The area was named Nuevo México (New Mexico) by the Spanish in the mid-1500s and officially settled in 1598, its capital Santa Fe was selected in 1610. In the late 1600s, the Pueblo people revolted against the Spanish. The Spanish returned twelve years later and made a better attempt at giving the Pueblos better representation in New Mexico’s society and government. One such Spanish governor of New Mexico, that is most well-known for his work with Native Americans, was named Tomás Vélez Cachupín.

When Mexico became independent in the early 1800s, New Mexico was part of it. Mexico wasn’t successful in representing the New Mexican people, which lead to another revolt called the Chimayo Rebellion.

In 1846, the United States and Mexico went to war over a border dispute in Texas (a former state of Mexico that, after being its own country for a time joined the US), and the United States won the war. The peace treaty the two countries signed gave what is now the American Southwest to the United States. While most of what was then Northern Mexico did not have a large amount of people living in it, New Mexico had population centers in Pueblo and Spanish towns, especially along the Rio Grande River and in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The New Mexican citizens living there were allowed to stay if they agreed to become US Citizens; over 90% did.

After some time as a territory, the area became a state in 1912.

• 
  Coyote
• 
  Sandia Peak Tramway
• 
  The Kiva at Nambe Pueblo

• Colleges and universities in New Mexico
• List of counties in New Mexico

Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Mexico.

• New Mexico Indian Tribes Archived 2007-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
• New Mexico Monuments
• New Mexico National Parks
• Gila National Forest Archived 2007-07-26 at the Wayback Machine

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