It covers an area of 653.3 km2 (252.2 sq mi) and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the neighbouring state of Oaxaca, as well as by the Chiapas municipalities of Cintalapa, Jiquipilas, Villaflores and Tonalá.

[1] Other than the city of Arriaga, the municipality had 464 localities, the largest of which (with 2010 populations in parentheses) were: Emiliano Zapata (3,353), classified as urban, and Azteca (La Punta) (1,829), La Gloria (1,801), La Línea (1,452), and Lázaro Cárdenas (1,172), classified as rural.

[1] The name of the city honours Ponciano Arriaga, the name given to it upon creation of the municipality on 28 May 1910.

Tren Interoceánico plans to build a station for its Line K in Arriaga.

[3] This article about a location in the Mexican state of Chiapas is a stub.