Celestún Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Celestun
Town


Celestún Location in Yucatán (state) Show map of Yucatán (state) Celestún Location in Mexico Show map of Mexico
Country	Mexico
State	Yucatán
Population (2005)
• Total	6,269
	Municipality
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time)
INEGI Code	011
Major Airport	Merida (Manuel Crescencio Rejón) International Airport
IATA Code	MID
ICAO Code	MMMD
Website	Nuestros municipios - Celestún

Celestún is a lovely town in Yucatán, Mexico. It's located in the northwest part of the state, right on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It's also very close to the border of the Campeche state. The town is found at 20°51.5′N 90°24′W / 20.8583°N 90.400°W / 20.8583; -90.400.

About the Town of Celestún
Amazing Nature in Celestún
- Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve
- Weather in Celestún
Images for kids
See also

About the Town of Celestún

Celestún is mainly a fishing town. In 2000, about 6,000 people lived there. But during octopus hunting season, the population can grow to 10,000! The town has an old lighthouse from the 1800s and a newer one too. There's also an old, empty farm called a hacienda.

Besides fishing, Celestún has been making salt since ancient times, even before Columbus arrived. Tourism is also becoming a big part of the town's economy. People love to visit because of its many kilometers of sandy beaches and amazing wildlife.

One of the busiest times for visitors is during Holy Week. People from all over the area come to Celestún. During this time, there are special local traditions. The town's patron saint is taken out to sea with candles. The patron saint from nearby Kinchil also comes to visit. There is a church in town that was built a long time ago, during the colonial period.

Celestún is the main town for the surrounding area, called a municipio. This means the town square often hosts fun events like carnivals, dances, and musicians.

The city hall building in Celestún

Amazing Nature in Celestún

Celestún is in the northwest part of the Yucatán state, near the border with Campeche.

Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve

Around the town is a huge nature area called the Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve. It's a wetland reserve that covers about 600 square kilometers (147,500 acres). This reserve is a winter home for many flamingos. You can also see lots of herons and other types of birds here.

More than 200 different kinds of birds either live in the reserve or pass through it during their long migrations. The nature here is special because it mixes fresh water from a river with salty water from the Gulf of Mexico. You can also find two types of pelicans: large white Canadian ones and smaller gray Mexican ones.

Celestún is also a very important place for endangered sea turtles. These turtles come here to lay their eggs. People who work to protect wildlife have projects to help keep the sea turtles safe from modern changes.

A beautiful beach in Celestún

Weather in Celestún

Celestún has warm weather most of the year. It can get quite hot, especially from April to September. The coolest months are December and January. It rains more during the summer months, from June to October.

Climate data for Celestún
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29 (84)	29.9 (85.8)	32 (90)	34.3 (93.7)	35 (95)	34.3 (93.7)	33.8 (92.8)	33.5 (92.3)	32.9 (91.2)	31.7 (89.1)	30.2 (86.4)	29.1 (84.4)	32 (90)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	17.3 (63.1)	17.6 (63.7)	19.0 (66.2)	20.7 (69.3)	22 (72)	22.5 (72.5)	22 (72)	22.3 (72.1)	22.4 (72.3)	21.7 (71.1)	20 (68)	18.0 (64.4)	20.5 (68.9)
Average precipitation cm (inches)	2.5 (1)	2.0 (0.8)	0.76 (0.3)	1.0 (0.4)	3.6 (1.4)	11 (4.3)	12 (4.9)	12 (4.8)	14 (5.7)	8.6 (3.4)	3.3 (1.3)	2.8 (1.1)	75 (29.4)
Source: Weatherbase