Ensenada Municipality

Ensenada is a municipality in the Mexican state of Baja California. It is the fourth-largest municipality in the country, with a land area of 19,526.8 km2 (7,539.3 sq mi) in 2020, making slightly smaller than the state of Hidalgo and larger than five other Mexican states. Located offshore, Cedros Island and Guadalupe Island are part of the municipality, making Ensenada the westernmost municipality in Mexico and Latin America. Incorporated on 15 May 1882 as the northern partido of the Baja California Territory, it became a municipality of the state of Baja California on 29 December 1953. The municipality shares borders with every other municipality in the state: Tijuana, Playas de Rosarito and Tecate to the north, Mexicali and San Felipe to the east and southeast and San Quintín to the south. Its municipal seat is Ensenada, a port lying near the northwest corner of the municipality. In 2009 a massive project was announced to build what would be Mexico's largest port in Punta Colonet, a largely uninhabited area 80 km (50 mi) south of the city of Ensenada, but as of 2025 no construction has begun. In February 2020, San Quintín separated from Ensenada and became Baja California's sixth municipality. Prior to this, Ensenada was the country's largest municipality. In January 2022, Puertecitos separated from Ensenada to San Felipe and became Baja California's seventh municipality, further reducing the size of Ensenada Municipality.