Mexicali, the capital of Baja California, Mexico, sits directly on the U.S. border opposite Calexico, California, and anchors a bustling metropolitan area of over 1 million people. Founded in the early 20th century after a 1900 irrigation canal linked the Colorado River to the valley, the city boomed as an agricultural center, attracting thousands of settlers by 1904. Its early growth was heavily influenced by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler, who brought in thousands of Chinese laborers, giving Mexicali a distinct cultural flavor. Today, it is a major manufacturing hub powered by maquiladoras and an emerging tourist destination, while the indigenous Cocopah people still inhabit a protected corner of the nearby river delta. The city's name, a portmanteau of "Mexico" and "California" coined by Coronel Agustín Sanguinéz, reflects its unique binational identity.