Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the geographical isthmus. For the political region, see Istmo de Tehuantepec.
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Spanish pronunciation: [tewanteˈpek]) is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Before the opening of the Panama Canal, it was a major overland transport route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route. The name is taken from the town of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca; this was derived from the Nahuatl term Tēcuāntepēc ("jaguar mountain").