Mexicali (pronounced mexi'kali ) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California, seat of the Municipality of Mexicali. The City of Mexicali has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area reaches 996,826.
The city maintains a highly educated and skilled population, as the city has modernized and become an important population center in the desert region.
Mexicali's economy has been historically based on agricultural products, and to this day it remains a large sector of the economy. As time has progressed, however, its economy has gradually gone from being agricultural to include industry, mainly maquiladoras. Companies such as Honeywell, GKN Aerospace, Kellogg's, Gulfstream, UTC Aerospace Systems, SunPower, Rockwell Collins, LG Electronics, National Oilwell Varco, Mitsubishi, Autolite, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Robert Bosch and Goodrich Corporation have built maquiladora plants in the city.
Mexicali is the national pioneer for the aerospace industry in Mexico, when Rockwell Collins (former Hughes Tool Company) decided to establish an operation in 1966. Rockwell Collins it's the oldest company under the maquiladora program nationwide.
Mexicali Municipality is a municipality (Spanish: municipio) in the Mexican state of Baja California. Its municipal seat (Spanish: cabecera municipal) is located in the city of Mexicali. As of 2010, the municipality had a total population of 936,826, and according to the 2000 census, it had 764,602 inhabitants. The municipality has an area of 13,700 km² (5,300 sq mi.) This includes many smaller outlying communities as well as the city of Mexicali. Also, the islands of Baja California located in the Gulf of California are part of the municipality, among them the mudflat islands at the mouth of the Colorado River (the largest one being Montague Island), Isla Ángel de la Guarda and the islands of the San Lorenzo Marine Archipelago National Park. Mexicali is the northernmost municipality of Latin America.
The city of Mexicali was founded in 1903, and its name is a portmanteau of Mexico and California, as is the name of Calexico, California across the border.
The municipality of Mexicali, is divided into 14 administrative boroughs (Spanish: delegaciones) of which the city of Mexicali occupies 3 beside the city proper area; all boroughs are in turn divided into colonias or ejidos. These boroughs offer administrative services such as urban planning, civil registry, inspection, verification, public works and community development and are served by a delegado.