Colima, Mexico

🇲🇽 Colima is a city that is the capital of the Colima state and the seat of Colima municipality, located in central−western Mexico. It is located near the Colima volcano, which divides the small state from that of Jalisco. The city of Colima is the capital of the state of the same name. It is the second largest municipality after Manzanillo by population. FDI Intelligence, a subsidiary of the Financial Times of London, ranked Colima first in small cities and tenth in Latin America as a place to live. It was evaluated under six categories; economic potential, human resources, cost-benefit ratio, quality of life, infrastructure and favorable business environment.

Economy The city of Colima is the economic centre of the state. Outside in the small communities of the municipality, agriculture is still the most important economic activity. It is one of seventy-one urban areas and 308 municipalities that contribute over eighty percent of Mexico's GDP. It is ranked twelfth in competitiveness. Its main competitive advantage is reliable and objective local laws with its weakness being sustainable use of the local environment. The working population of the municipality is 51,509, with 3,145 working in agriculture, 10,820 in industry, mining and construction and 35,809 in commerce and services as of 2009. A study by the University of Colima concluded that the municipality is the most competitive in the state and one of the most competitive in the centre west of Mexico. Two economic advantages the municipality has are its well development commerce and services sector and its low rate of unemployment. One main disadvantage is its lack of developed technology sector, with most businesses dedicated to basic commodities. Others include high bureaucratic costs, crime rate, over exploitation of aquifers and problems with waste management, especially hazardous materials.

Agriculture is exclusively practised outside of the city proper, by the small rural communities which still depend on it economically, along with some mining and fishing. The municipality has a total of 70,000 hectares dedicated to agricultural production, which is over ten percent of the total. Most soils in the municipality are fertile. Most irrigated agriculture occurs in the west of the municipality on the Los Asmoles, Las Golondrinas and Los Ortinces mesas. Main crops include corn, rice, melons, animal feed, sugar cane and limes. Other important crops include sorghum, tomatoes, tomatillos, beans, peanuts, mangos, tamarind, coconut, papaya, agave and bananas. Livestock mostly consists of domestic fowl followed by cattle, horses, sheep, goats and pigs. Agriculture employs just over nine percent of the population.

Except for some limestone at the Cerro de Galindo, there are no exploitable minerals in the municipality. Industry is limited to food processing and packaging, especially of rice. There is also some production of oils, soaps and sweets. This sector of the economy employs just over twenty percent of the population.

About sixty eight percent of the population is employed in commerce and services. Colima is one of the state's main commercial centres and is the major distribution centre for goods destined for local consumption. The municipality has five traditional fixed markets, eight department stores, ten tianguis markets, one flea market and a very large number of small, independent retail stores. Despite being the capital, the city is not the state's main tourist attraction, eclipsed by Manzanillo and Comala, as it lacks major cultural and historical sites. It is one of the state's main commerce and distribution centres, with over two-thirds of the population employed in commerce and services within the city proper. The main economic activities in the city are commerce and services, including tourism. However, the city lacks major cultural and heritage sites, with makes it lag behind Manzanillo and the small town of Comala as a tourist attraction.