Yucatán

American  

[yoo-kuh-tan, yoo-kah-tahn] / ˌyu kəˈtæn, ˌyu kɑˈtɑn /

Also Yucatan

noun

1. a peninsula in SE Mexico and N Central America comprising parts of SE Mexico, N Guatemala, and Belize.

2. a state in SE Mexico, in N Yucatán Peninsula. 14,868 sq. mi. (38,510 sq. km). Mérida.

---

Yucatán British  

/ jukaˈtan, ˌjuːkəˈtɑːn /

noun

1. a state of SE Mexico, occupying the N part of the Yucatán peninsula. Capital: Mérida. Pop: 1 655 707 (2000). Area: 39 340 sq km (15 186 sq miles)

2. a peninsula of Central America between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, including the Mexican states of Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo, and part of Belize: a centre of Mayan civilization from about 100 _bc to the 18th century. Area: about 181 300 sq km (70 000 sq miles)

---

Yucatán Cultural  

1. Peninsula mostly in southeastern Mexico, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico.

---

Discover More

It is the location of many Mayan ruins.

Example Sentences

About 66 million years ago, scientists believe, a city-size asteroid crashed into Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, precipitating a series of worldwide catastrophes: a massive earthquake, landslides, wildfires, tsunamis and temperatures reaching 700 degrees Fahrenheit.

From The Wall Street Journal

The parasitic fly has been found recently in seven Mexican states: Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Yucatán.

From Los Angeles Times

Now L.A. locals, the sisters are originally from Yucatan, Mexico, where they say the moon holds spiritual significance.

From Los Angeles Times

KINI, Mexico — On a hot June night Jesús Cruz at last returned to Kini, the small town in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula where he spent the first 17 years of his life.

From Los Angeles Times

The design of tapered pillars was inspired by the Palace of the Governors at Uxmal, a Maya ruin on Yucatán Peninsula dating from AD 800.

From Los Angeles Times