Silao
| Silao de la Victoria | ||
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| Nickname(s): Silao | ||
 Silao de la Victoria
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| Coordinates: 20°56′52″N 101°25′41″W / 20.94778°N 101.42806°WCoordinates: 20°56′52″N 101°25′41″W / 20.94778°N 101.42806°W | ||
| Country |
 Mexico
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| State | Guanajuato | |
| Founded | February 3, 1833 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Juan Antonio Morales Maciel | |
| Elevation | 1,780 m (5,840 ft) | |
| Population (2005) | ||
| • Total | 147,123 | |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | |
| Mexican Postal Code | 36100 | |
| Area code(s) | 472 | |
| Website | www.silao.gob.mx | |
Silao (official name: Silao de la Victoria) is a city in the west-central part of the state of Guanajuato in Mexico. It is the seat of the municipio with the same name. As of the 2005 census, the city had a population of 147,123, making it the seventh-largest community in the state. Silao is a center of agricultural and industrial activity in the area, with a wide variety of farm crops, produce and dairy packing plants and a General Motors truck and SUV assembly plant which currently makes Chevrolet and GMC Full-size Pickups.
This city is served by the Del Bajío International Airport. It functions as the central airport for the cities of Irapuato, Guanajuato, León, and Salamanca.
In its original Nahuatl, it was called Tzinacua by the Otomi and Purépecha natives. Tzinacua loosely translates into 'place of dense fog', derived from the quantity of thermal waters surrounding the area. In the Otomi language its name is Tsinäkua that also means 'place of dense fog'.
In the place where Silao now sits, there was an Otomí settlement that was conquered by the Purépecha tribe. It then received the name Tzinacua, that in English means "place of dense fog", because in the area of Comanjilla, there were columns of water vapor rising from thermal springs. The name evolved to 'Sinaua', 'Silagua' and finally 'Silao'.
Silao is located in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. It is situated 100° 25´ 59´´ longitude west of the Greenwich meridian and 20° 56´ 24´´ latitude north. Its altitude is 1,780 meters above sea level.
The municipality of Silao has an area of 531.41 km², equivalent to 1.76% of the total state area. The city of Guanajuato lies to the east and north of Silao; to the south lies Irapuato; to the west is Romita; to the northwest is León.
The territory of Silao is almost planar formed in by the Bajío, between its few important elevations, one can find the 'Cerro del Cubilete' whose altitude is 2,570 meters above sea level and is considered the geographic center of the country.
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Wikipedia