Quintana Roo

Quintana Roo is a state on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in southeastern Mexico, home to the country's most famous beach destinations. Its capital is Chetumal, but Cancun, the Riviera Maya and Tulum are its world-renowned draws. White-sand beaches, turquoise seas and Maya ruins make it a global tourist magnet.

Quintana Roo features a long Caribbean coastline of coral reefs, including part of the Mesoamerican Reef, plus flat jungle dotted with cenotes and lagoons. Islands such as Cozumel and Isla Mujeres lie offshore. The climate is tropical, with a hurricane season.

The state combines a vibrant, international tourism culture with deep Maya heritage, seen in living Maya communities and major archaeological sites. Diving, beaches and eco-tourism define its modern identity.

A frontier region long inhabited by the Maya and a holdout during the 19th-century Caste War, Quintana Roo became a state only in 1974. The development of Cancun from the 1970s transformed it into Mexico's tourism powerhouse.