The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located in the southern part of the country, bordering the states of Guerrero to the west, Puebla to the northwest, Veracruz to the north, Chiapas to the east, and the Pacific Ocean in the south. With an area of 93,967 km² (36,820.2 sq mi), Oaxaca is the fifth largest state in the republic. According to the 2005 census it had a population of 3,506,821 inhabitants.
