It is located in northeast Mexico and is bordered by the states of Nuevo León to the west, San Luis Potosí to the southwest, and Veracruz to the southeast.

Tamaulipas was originally populated by the nomad Chichimec and sedentary Huastec, in addition to non-Chichimec hunter-gatherer and fishing tribes.

Further settlement was done by Franciscan missionaries; widespread cattle and sheep ranching by the Spanish bolstered the area's economy while forcing native populations from their original lands.

These settlements, from Laredo to Reynosa, served as a defensive line for larger centers of population in the Mexican interior.

[10][11] In the mid-17th century, various Apache bands from the Southern Plains, after acquiring horses from Europeans in New Mexico, moved southeastward into the Edwards Plateau, displacing the native hunting and gathering groups.

In northeastern Coahuila and adjacent Texas, Spanish and Apache displacements created an unusual ethnic mix.

American president James K. Polk had desired to annex Mexican territory as far south as Tampico although his negotiator Nicholas Trist disregarded this and settled on a border with Texas on the Rio Grande.

The climate was considered suitable for the spread of slavery by Southerners who desired the admission of new territory to shift the balance in Congress back towards the slave states.

Senator Albert Gallatin Brown declared "I want Tamaulipas, Potosi, and one or two other Mexican states; and I want them all for the same reason – for the plantation and spreading of slavery".

[14] In the 1850s José María Jesús Carbajal led several incursions into Tamaulipas[15] before being indicted for violating the Neutrality Act.

Portions of Tamaulipas supported the republican forces led by President Benito Juarez in resisting the French, especially in the north.

International trade began to blossom, especially with the coming of the railroad to Tampico, which was developing as not only a port city but also as an industrial and commercial center.

The railroad allowed goods to flow quickly from the mines and cities of the interior and the Texas border to Tampico for processing and shipment.

Since the revolution of 1910, successive governments have dedicated themselves to building industry and infrastructure in Tamaulipas, including communications and educational systems.

The coastal plains along the Gulf have a large presence in the state, whereas inland the landscape is adorned by cactus species and pasture.

Predominant fauna in the region include the cougar (Puma concolor), long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), American badger (Taxidea taxus), North American beaver (Castor canadensis), plain chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) and quail.

In terms of hydrology, the Bravo, Purificacion, and Guayalejo Rivers flow into the Gulf of Mexico after crossing the state from the western inland.

The Rio Grande, known to Mexicans as the Río Bravo, represents the northern frontier shared with the United States.

Agricultural and cattle-raising activities are served by 14 other dams across the state, with a total capacity of 7,500 million m3 (260 billion cu ft) of water.

[16] State agencies include: Northern Tamaulipas shares its economic culture with that of Texas, and is primarily characterized by agriculture and strong growth in all industrial sectors.

This region is home to many of the maquiladoras, factories owned by foreign companies but worked by Mexicans, primarily by women.

[citation needed] There is a large number of people (around 200 000 only in the city of Reynosa) born in the southern neighboring state of Veracruz who are economic immigrants that end up working in the maquila industry.

La sangre palpita en el pecho mío, al recuerdo glorioso de sus héroes y su honor.

Verse I: Thou wert the cradle of noble men Who by the light of their knowledge illuminated, And who in passing through the world left By their works their immortal name.

Verse IV: Those who sleep in eternal rest, That for you with faith and courage gave his life, Succumbed to make you happy Under the fire that made you immortal.

Estrofa VI: Nuestros hombres hoy luchan ufanos por mejorar su condición de ciudadanos.

In February 2010, an armed conflict broke out between the criminal groups known as the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas, resulting in many border cities becoming "ghost towns"; such is the case of the border strip known as "La Frontera Chica" made up of the cities of Miguel Alemán, Mier, Camargo and Nueva Ciudad Guerrero.

According to INEGI, in 2012 Tamaulipas contained 9 municipalities with a homicide rate higher than 100 per 100,000 inhabitants: Cruillas (106), San Fernando (175), Llera (159), Mier (156), Güémez (141), Hidalgo (135), Nuevo Laredo (134), González (109) and Soto la Marina (100).

As of 2021, Tamaulipas continues to be affected by violence, this being one of the factors that have greatly hindered the economic and social activity of the state.

In 2014 it was estimated that the losses due to violence by each company in Tamaulipas reached an average of 95 thousand pesos per year (fourth highest in the country).