Santiago Astata is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

in south-western

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It is part of the

Tehuantepec District Tehuantepec District is located in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Istmo Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico. It includes the cities of Salina Cruz and Tehuantepec. Gallery File:Salina Cruz Bay.jpg, Salina Cruz Bay, the largest an ...

in the west of the Istmo Region. The name "Astata" means "place of herons".

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 446.54 km² at an elevation of 30 metres above sea level. The climate is very warm. Flora includes deciduous trees and shrubs such as passion fruit, cachimbo and mesquite. Wild fauna consist of deer, rabbit, badger and wild boar.

Climate

Demography

As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 3,642 of whom 273 spoke an indigenous language. A few people speak the lowland version of Oaxacan Chontal, a language that is in danger of extinction.

Economy

Economic activities include agriculture (beans, corn, sesame, sorghum, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes and peanuts), animal husbandry (cattle, goats and pigs), harvesting the ocean for fish and shellfish for the Salina Cruz market, limestone quarrying and logging.

References

{{Tehuantepec District Municipalities of Oaxaca