New Mexico

New Mexico (Spanish: Nuevo Mexico [‘nwebo ‘mexiko] (listen); Navajo: Yooto Hahoodzo [jo:tho haho:tso]) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region of the western U.S. with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona, and bordering Texas to the east and southeast, Oklahoma to the northeast, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora to the south. The state capital is Santa Fe, which is the oldest capital in the U.S., founded in 1610 as the government seat of Nuevo Mexico in New Spain; the largest city is Albuquerque. It was admitted as a state in 1912.

New Mexico is the fifth largest state, but it has just over 2.1million residents. It ranks 36th in population, and 46th in density. Its climate and geography is highly diverse, with forested mountains and sparse deserts. The eastern and northern regions have a colder climate than the south and west, respectively. The Rio Grande and its fertile valley run from north to south, creating a riparian environment through the middle of the state. This climate supports a bosque habitat as well as the Albuquerque Basin climate. New Mexico has a third of its land under federal ownership. The state also hosts many national monuments and protected wilderness areas, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

New Mexico’s economy and industries are some of the largest in the country, highlighted by the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association, EMNRD, New Mexico Technology Corridor, media in Albuquerque, and its film industry. And the state has is highly diversified sectors in cattle ranching, agriculture, lumber, scientific and technological research, tourism, and the arts, especially textiles and visual arts. Its total gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 was $95.73 billion, with a GDP per capita of roughly $46,300. State tax policy is characterized by low to moderate taxation of resident personal income by national standards, with tax credits, exemptions, and special considerations for military personnel and favorable industries. New Mexico is home to a large U.S. military presence. This includes White Sands Missile Range and federal research centers such as Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The state hosted several key facilities of the Manhattan Project, which developed the world’s first atomic bomb, and was the site of the first nuclear test, Trinity.