新墨西哥(New Mexico)

美国西南部一州。面积约314,926平方公里。首府为圣大非。其西部跨越北美大陆分水岭。格兰德河将该州分为东西两半，河流的一小段还成了该州与德州的分界线。这里的人类活动大约已有上万年的历史。在15世纪纳瓦霍人和阿帕契人到来之前，当地务农的印第安人已经修筑了灌溉系统，普韦布洛式村落和悬崖住所的残余至今仍散落在该州的许多地方。16世纪从墨西哥来的西班牙人声称此地为西班牙所有，1540年科罗纳多的探险队到达了这里。最初的定居点是1610年在圣大非建立的。17世纪的最初十年里从密苏里来的商人在此相当活跃。1821年这里成了墨西哥的一部分，但墨西哥战争结束後归美国所有。1850年美国国会决议建立新墨西哥准州。1952年新墨西哥正式成为美国的第47个州，但仍保留着它的边远州的形象。第二次世界大战加快了这里的经济和社会发展，给当地带来了诸如洛塞勒摩斯等研究机构。目前当地的经济主要依靠输出原材料；石油和天然气的生产也很重要。在阿布奎基有新墨西哥大学和一个美术家社区。人口约1,730,000（1997）。

English version：

New Mexico

State (pop., 1997 est.: 1,730,000), southwestern U.S. It covers 121,593 sq mi (314,926 sq km); its capital is Santa Fe. In the west, it is crossed north-south by the Continental Divide. The Rio Grande bisects the state and for a short distance forms the boundary with Texas. Human settlement in the area has probably spanned 10,000 years. Before the Navajo and Apache arrived in the 15th century, an agricultural Indian civilization had developed irrigation systems, pueblos, and cliff dwellings whose ruins still dot the state. Spaniards from Mexico claimed the area for Spain in the 16th century, and in 1540 Francisco Vazquez de Coronado explored it. The first settlement was at Santa Fe in 1610. Missionaries were active in the 1600s. It became part of Mexico in 1821 and was ceded to the U.S. in 1848 at the end of the Mexican War. The Territory of New Mexico was established by Congress in 1850. It became the 47th U.S. state in 1912, and retained its frontier image. World War II spurred economic and social change, bringing research facilities, including that at Los Alamos. The economy today is largely dependent on the export of raw materials and on federal government expenditures; oil and natural gas are also important. The University of New Mexico and a fine arts community are in Albuquerque.