Calica is a

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

and a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

on the

Quintana Roo Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...

coast of Mexico. The name is short for the full Spanish name Calizas Industriales del Carmen, "calizas" Spanish for lime or

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

(cognate to the English "

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

.") Ultramar and Transcaribe operate car ferries to Cozumel from the port. The port is also used to dock ships for loading aggregate (gravel and sand) used for construction. The Calica quarry was originally part of a joint venture between Vulcan Materials Company and Grupo ICA, but Vulcan purchased Grupo ICA interest in 2001. The Calica site has a port blasted directly into the

to accommodate deep draft vessels needed to ship the

to the US. All of the limestone from Calica, approx. 12 million tons annually, is exported to the US. The Calica port itself has little or no services or hotels. Just north of the port is the "ecological theme park" of Xcaret, a Mayan tourist destination, archaeological site, and beach. Although situated on the continental mainland of the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula ( , ; ) is a large peninsula in southeast Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west of the peninsula from the C ...

, the Calica facilities are not part of the surrounding ''municipio'' (municipality) of Solidaridad. The site (An area of some 11.9 ha) along with another neighboring mainland location Xel-Ha is part of the municipality of

Cozumel Cozumel (; ) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The ...

, which has the rest of its land on the island of the same name approximately 20 km (12.4 mi) offshore to the east on the other side of the Cozumel Channel in the Caribbean Sea. Carnival Cruise Lines, the world's largest cruise operator, announced in March 2012 that the company intends to build a cruise terminal at the Calica port, part of an investment in Mexican port infrastructure estimated at US$150 million.

External links

Information on the CALICA quarry business venture

References

Ports and harbours of Mexico Ports and harbours in the Caribbean Buildings and structures in Quintana Roo Solidaridad (municipality) Tourist attractions in Quintana Roo Limestone industry {{Water-transport-stub

See also

External links

References