Ciudad del Carmen

Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche
View of the city from the Laguna de Términos
Nickname: 
The Pearl of the Gulf
Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche
Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche
Coordinates: 18°38′N 91°50′W / 18.633°N 91.833°W / 18.633; -91.833
CountryMexico
StateCampeche
MunicipalityCarmen
City Founded16 July 1717
Government
  MayorPablo Gutiérrez Lazarus (Morena)
Area
  Total
35.63 km2 (13.76 sq mi)
Elevation
2 m (6.6 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)
  Total
191,238
  Density5,400/km2 (14,000/sq mi)
DemonymCarmelita
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (US Central))
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (Central)
Area code938
Major AirportCiudad del Carmen International Airport
IATA CodeCME
ICAO CodeMMCE
Websitehttp://www.carmen.gob.mx/

Ciudad del Carmen or Carmen is a city in the southwest of the Mexican state of Campeche. Ciudad del Carmen is located at 18°38′N 91°50′W / 18.63°N 91.83°W / 18.63; -91.83 on the southwest of Carmen Island, which stands in the Laguna de Términos on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. As of 2010, Ciudad del Carmen had a population of 169,466, up from the 2005 census of 154,197.

The Puente El Zacatal, constructed in 1994, is one of the longest in Latin America.

This border area at the western edge of the Yucatán Peninsula was previously part of the state of Yucatán, then of Tabasco; since 1863 it has been part of the state of Campeche. In 1840 the city had a population of about 7,000.

The city is also the seat of the state of Campeche's Carmen municipality, which includes the city and the surrounding area. The 2010 census population of the municipality of Carmen was 221,094 people, second only to the capital municipality of Campeche.

The main university in Ciudad del Carmen is the Universidad Autónoma del Carmen (UNACAR).