The city serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of the same name, which includes the city and its hinterland. In 2010 the population of Escárcega municipality was 54,184.[1] Its area is 4,569.64 km2 (1,764.35 sq mi), which includes many smaller outlying communities, the largest of which is called División del Norte.
Escárcega is at the junction of Federal Highways 251 and 186, and is crossed by the railway that runs from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, to Campeche, Campeche. It is a new city that grew up in the 20th century with the arrival of the railways and roads. It is named after Francisco Escárcega, a native of Tlaxcala who fought in the Mexican Revolution and oversaw the construction of much of the rail network in the country's southeast.
