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Glite Dictionary
Sierra Madre Occidental

Sierra Madre Occidental

7.0
A long mountain range in northwestern Mexico that runs near the Pacific coast from the US border south
  • proper noun
translation icon : Sierra Madre Occidental
  • The Sierra Madre Occidental runs parallel to the Pacific coast in northwestern Mexico.

Examples

  • Hiking through the Sierra Madre Occidental, we enjoyed breathtaking views of the mountains.

  • Many species of wildlife inhabit the Sierra Madre Occidental, making it a hotspot for biodiversity.

  • Much of the increased production was in this traditional drug-production area in the Sierra Madre Occidental.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Keywords: landscape change, Mexico, James J. Parsons, photography, Sierra Madre Occidental, Robert C. West.

    Academic text (2002)

  • She suggested that this area provides an ideal location for drug production because the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains and a favorable climate have offered natural protection to growers and traffickers alike.

    Academic text (2002)

  • West and Parsons commented that the "Sierra Madre Occidental presents one of the most formidable obstacles to land transportation in Mexico" (1941, 406).

    Academic text (2002)

Surface Forms

Sierra Madre Occidental main

Morphology

sierra + Madre + occidental

The toponym is compositionally built from Spanish constituents: 'sierra' (mountain range), 'Madre' (mother) and 'occidental' (western). If a learner knows these words they can directly infer it denotes a western mountain range rather than an idiomatic or unpredictable meaning, so the name is transparently interpretable from its parts.

Etymology

Sierra Madre Occidental comes from Spanish and literally names the range: sierra means 'mountain range', madre means 'mother', and occidental means 'western', so the name points to the big mountain chain on Mexico's western side.