Calica facts for kids
Calica is a special place in Mexico, located on the coast of Quintana Roo. It's mainly a quarry and a port. A quarry is a big open pit where people dig out rocks and minerals. In Calica's case, they dig out a lot of limestone. Limestone is a type of rock used for many things, like building materials. The name "Calica" is short for "Calizas Industriales del Carmen," which means "Industrial Limestones of Carmen" in Spanish.
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What is Calica?
Calica is a very busy place. It has a large quarry where workers dig out huge amounts of limestone. This limestone is then loaded onto big ships at the port. These ships take the limestone to the United States to be used in construction. About 12 million tons of limestone are shipped from Calica every year!
The Port and Its Uses
The port at Calica is very important. It was specially built by blasting into the limestone rock. This makes it deep enough for very large ships to dock. These ships carry the limestone, which is also called "aggregate" (like gravel and sand), to other countries.
Besides shipping limestone, the port is also used by car ferries. These ferries, run by companies like Ultramar and Transcaribe, take cars and people to the island of Cozumel.
Who Owns Calica?
The Calica quarry was first a project between two companies: Vulcan Materials Company and Grupo ICA. But in 2001, Vulcan Materials Company bought out Grupo ICA's share. This means Vulcan Materials Company now owns and runs the Calica site.
Calica's Location
Calica is located on the mainland part of the Yucatán Peninsula. Even though it's surrounded by the municipality of Solidaridad, Calica itself is not part of Solidaridad. Instead, Calica is part of the municipality of Cozumel.
This might seem a bit strange because most of Cozumel is on an island about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) away in the Caribbean Sea. But Calica, along with another nearby area called Xel-Ha, belongs to the Cozumel municipality.
Nearby Attractions
The Calica port itself doesn't have many services or hotels. However, just north of the port, you can find Xcaret. Xcaret is a popular "ecological theme park." It's a fun place for tourists that combines a Mayan archaeological site with beaches and nature activities.
Future Plans for Calica
In March 2012, Carnival Cruise Lines, which is one of the biggest cruise ship companies in the world, announced exciting news. They plan to build a new cruise ship terminal at the Calica port. This project is part of a large investment in Mexican ports. It means that in the future, even more cruise ships might visit Calica!
See also
- List of ports and harbours of the Atlantic Ocean
