I thought that some people might be interested in just how high above sea level we live here in the Bajío area of Mexico in the state of Guanajuato compared to other places in the world. However, we should keep in mind that in comparison to other folks in Mexico we really don't live very high here at all. The term "bajío" actually means "lowlands". Here are the elevations above sea level for some of the towns in the Irapuato area where I live.
Irapuato is 1,724 meters (5,656 ft) above the sea level.
Silao is 1,780 meters (5,839 feet).
Bajío Airport (BJX) is 1,815 meters (5,954 feet).
León de Los Aldama is 1,798 meters (5,898 feet).
Guanajuato is 1,996 meters (6,550 feet).
San Miguel de Allende is1,870 meters (6,140 feet).
Dolores Hidalgo is 1,980 meters (6,480 feet).
Celaya is 1,760 meters (5,774 feet).
Querétaro is 1,820 meters (5,971 feet).
Now, contrast those altitudes with the city of Davos in Switzerland which at At 1,560 meters (5,118 feet) it is the highest city in Europe...YES, THAT'S RIGHT, THE HIGHEST CITY IN EUROPE!!! Check it out for yourself. Our own city of Irapuato is 164 meters (538 feet) higher than Davos. The highest village in Europe that is inhabited year around is also located in Switzerland and it is called Juf but it only has a population of 24 people. The elevation of Juf is 2,126 meters (6,975 feet).
Mount Mitchell in North Carolina at 2,037 meters (6,684 feet) is the highest point in the United States east of the Mississippi River but nobody lives on top.
Our own local Mount Cubilete in Silao that you pass on the way to the Bajío airport (BJX) is 2,661 meters (8730 feet) and there are people living in the monastery at the top year around.
There is a city in Mexico called Real del Monte with about 25,000 thousand inhabitants located 70 miles north of Mexico City, which is 2,700 meters ( 8,858 feet) above the sea level.
Toluca is 2,680 meters (8,793 ft) above the sea level.
Zacatecas is 2,496 meters (8,050 ft)
Mexico City is 2,240 meters (7,349 feet).
My friend Constantino's house in Pátzcuaro is 2,432meters (7,982 feet).
I guess in comparison with Real de Monte, Toluca, Zacatecas, Constantino, and Mexico City, the people of the Bajío could be called "flatlanders". Just thinking about all this altitude has given me a nosebleed. I think I'd better go lie down for awhile...
13 October 2009
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About Me
- Bob Mrotek
- I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. I have been living in Mexico since January 6th, 1999. I am continually studying to improve my knowledge of the Spanish language and Mexican history and culture. I am also a student of Mandarin Chinese.
4 comments:
I enjoyed the gospel choir and the "higher" part of it. hehehe. That was quite intesting. No wonder you feel a little dizzy. Here's some of Modesto's statistics which are not much. Just copied it and pasted it here for your enjoyment. hehehe. Great post.
The population of Modesto is approximately 205,721 (2006).
The approximate number of families is 67,179 (2000).
The amount of land area in Modesto is 78.174 sq. kilometers.
The amount of land area in Modesto is 35.8 sq. miles.
The amount of surface water is 0.466 sq kilometers.
The distance from Modesto to Washington DC is 2496 miles. The distance to the California state capital is 63 miles. (as the crow flies)
Modesto is positioned 37.65 degrees north of the equator and 120.99 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Modesto elevation is 91 feet above sea level.
The city tree is the Modesto Ash.
Bob, you can add Patzcuaro between 7200 and 8000 ft. Our house according to Goggle earth is 7982. And there are a few towns like San Gregorio where our water comes from is 8830ft.
So, I guess we can call you a bajío.
Coming from sea level it took a little getting use to especially when I would hike up to the top of our property.....
Gloria,
I know Modesto very well. I used to manage a railcar repair crew at Tri-Valley canning in the 80's and I visited Modesto many times. I still remeber my first sight of the windmills at Livermore. Amazing!
Connie,
Here in Irapuato we aren't called "Bajíos". We are called "Freseros" (strawberries) but you can call me anything you want as long as you don't call me late for dinner. Okay, okay, just for you I will put Pátzcuaro on the map :)
You have to do mountain ranges next Bob - Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl (from Nahuatl citlal(in) = star, and tepētl = mountain), is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It rises 5,636 meters (18,490 feet) above sea level in the eastern end of the Eje Volcánico Transversal mountain range, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla.
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