Baja California, formerly Baja California Norte, State, northern Baja California peninsula, northwestern Mexico. Area: 26,997 sq mi (69,921 sq km). Population: (2020) 3,769,020. Capital: Mexicali. Although long inhabited, it remained sparsely populated until the 1950s. Then it experienced phenomenal growth, partly because of its proximity to the U.S. border; numerous foreign companies established assembly-oriented factories (maquiladoras) in the region, a trend accelerated by the establishment of NAFTA in 1994.
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