Playa del Carmen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Playa del Carmen
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City
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.jpg)
Aerial view of Playa del Carmen
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| Nickname(s):
Playa, PDC
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| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 416: Malformed coordinates value. | |
| Country | Mexico |
| State | Quintana Roo |
| Municipality | Solidaridad |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • City | 304 942 |
| • Urban | 304 942 |
| Demonym(s) | Playense |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Southeast (US Eastern)) |
| Postal codes |
77710, 77720
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| Area code(s) | 984 |
Playa del Carmen, often called 'Playa', is a fun resort city in Mexico. It is located along the beautiful Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo. This city is part of the Solidaridad area. In 2020, over 300,000 people lived here. Many people from other countries also call Playa del Carmen home.
Playa del Carmen is a very popular place for tourists to visit in Mexico. It is part of the famous Riviera Maya region. The city is growing super fast, about 7.5% each year! The Guinness World Records even says it's one of the fastest-growing communities in Latin America. In 2016, it was the tenth most popular international spot for travelers from the U.S. Over a million tourists visited just one year later. Most visitors fly into Cancún International Airport, which is about 70 kilometers (43 miles) away.
The area is famous for its soft white sand beaches and clear blue waters. You can also find amazing coral reefs and green rainforests nearby. The city center has a lively street called Quinta Avenida. This street is just for people walking and is full of shops, cool clubs, and tasty restaurants. The weather in Playa del Carmen is warm all year long. The busiest times for tourists are during the summer and winter holidays.
Contents
Geography of Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen is located within the Riviera Maya. This beautiful coastal area stretches from south of Cancún all the way to Tulum. It also includes the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve, a protected natural area.
Some large cruise ships make a stop near Playa del Carmen. They dock at the Calica quarry, which is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the city. A fun place to visit just south of town is the Xcaret Eco Park. This park is an "eco-archaeological park" with a Mexican theme. It's pronounced "ish-kar-et."
Weather and Climate in Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen has a tropical savannah climate. This means it's hot all year, with warm nights. Most of the rain falls between June and November.
In October 2005, a big storm called Hurricane Wilma hit Playa del Carmen. It stayed in the area for two days and caused a lot of damage. This also meant fewer tourists came for a while. Luckily, most of the damage was not too bad. It was fixed within a few weeks after the storm. Hurricane Wilma came from the Caribbean Sea. It first passed over Cozumel island before reaching Playa del Carmen. Then, it moved north along the Mexican coast, hitting Cancún very hard.
| Climate data for Playa del Carmen (1951–2010) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.5 (99.5) |
33.0 (91.4) |
34.0 (93.2) |
39.0 (102.2) |
40.0 (104.0) |
39.0 (102.2) |
39.0 (102.2) |
39.5 (103.1) |
39.0 (102.2) |
34.0 (93.2) |
35.0 (95.0) |
39.0 (102.2) |
40.0 (104.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.8 (82.0) |
28.5 (83.3) |
29.6 (85.3) |
30.8 (87.4) |
31.7 (89.1) |
32.0 (89.6) |
32.5 (90.5) |
32.9 (91.2) |
32.6 (90.7) |
30.8 (87.4) |
29.3 (84.7) |
28.6 (83.5) |
30.6 (87.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.8 (73.0) |
23.4 (74.1) |
24.3 (75.7) |
26.1 (79.0) |
27.3 (81.1) |
27.9 (82.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
28.0 (82.4) |
27.9 (82.2) |
26.3 (79.3) |
24.4 (75.9) |
23.4 (74.1) |
25.8 (78.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.9 (64.2) |
18.3 (64.9) |
19.0 (66.2) |
21.3 (70.3) |
22.9 (73.2) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.1 (73.6) |
21.7 (71.1) |
19.4 (66.9) |
18.2 (64.8) |
21.0 (69.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 8.0 (46.4) |
7.0 (44.6) |
5.0 (41.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
15.0 (59.0) |
14.0 (57.2) |
13.0 (55.4) |
15.0 (59.0) |
14.0 (57.2) |
13.5 (56.3) |
11.0 (51.8) |
9.0 (48.2) |
5.0 (41.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 61.2 (2.41) |
50.5 (1.99) |
28.1 (1.11) |
51.2 (2.02) |
78.1 (3.07) |
153.0 (6.02) |
126.3 (4.97) |
126.3 (4.97) |
168.8 (6.65) |
284.3 (11.19) |
130.3 (5.13) |
73.1 (2.88) |
1,331.2 (52.41) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 7.7 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 6.5 | 10.6 | 9.3 | 9.6 | 14.5 | 15.9 | 9.5 | 7.3 | 102.8 |
| Source: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional | |||||||||||||
Population Growth in Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen has grown a lot over the years. Here's how its population has changed:
| Historical population | ||
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| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1995 | 17,621 | — |
| 2000 | 43,613 | +147.5% |
| 2005 | 100,383 | +130.2% |
| 2010 | 149,923 | +49.4% |
| 2014 | 186,700 | +24.5% |
| 2020 | 304,942 | +63.3% |
| sources: | ||
Tourism in Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen used to be a small town where people mostly fished. Tourism started to grow because of the ferry service to Cozumel. Cozumel is an island across the Cozumel Channel. It is a very popular spot for scuba diving.
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Xcaret Park
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Tourists entering Playa del Carmen's ferry terminal
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Paseo del Carmen shopping center
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Church in Playa del Carmen
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Beach in Playa del Carmen
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Beach in Playa del Carmen
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Modern church, interior view
Safety in Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen is generally a safe place for tourists to visit in Mexico. Most visitors can enjoy their trip without problems. However, like any travel spot, there are some things to be aware of. These include natural risks like hurricanes and getting sunburned. There are also common tourist scams, so it's always good to be careful.
A website called Numbeo collects information about safety. It reports that the Safety Index and Crime Index for Playa del Carmen are both in the low to moderate range. This means the city is considered fairly safe.
Sports in Playa del Carmen
The city is home to a soccer team called Inter Playa del Carmen. This team was started in 1999. They play in the south group of the Segunda División Profesional. This is the third level of professional soccer in Mexico.
Playa del Carmen also hosted a big golf tournament called the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. This event was part of the PGA Tour. It took place at the El Camaleón Golf Club from 2007 to 2023. Since 2013, winning this tournament gave golfers full credit for a PGA TOUR victory.
