Baja California Sur, officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur,, is one of the 31 states which, with the
Federal District, comprise the
32 Federal Entities of
Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the
South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of 73,475 km2, or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises the southern half of the
Baja California peninsula, south of the
28th parallel. It is bordered to the north by the state of
Baja California, to the west by the
Pacific Ocean, and to the east by the
Gulf of California, also known as the "Sea of Cortés." Also, the state has maritime borders with
Sonora and
Sinaloa to the east across the
Gulf of California.