Like most of the Yucatan Peninsula Tulum is entirely flat with a gentle slope towards the sea, so from west to east, the area never reaches an altitude higher than 25 metres (82 ft) above sea level. The municipality is 5 metres (16 ft) above sea level on average.[4]
Like the rest of the peninsula's surface the land has a limestone base that does not allow the formation of surface water flows such as rivers and streams; the water instead flows in underground rivers that sometimes rise to the surface in the cenotes. Lakes and cenotes are the major bodies of water in the municipality.
Communities
The municipality consists of 170 populated localities, plus an additional 224 unpopulated localities, and includes part of a biosphere reserve (Sian Ka'an, which lies mostly in neighboring Felipe Carrillo Puerto Municipality). The largest localities (cities, towns, and villages) are:[5]
2020 was the 2nd census year for Tulum. Source: INEGI Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía[6]
Tulum has 46,721 inhabitants according to the 2020 census, a figure that reflects over five percent annual growth since the last census in 2010.[4] There is an additional 15,000 to 20,000 people living and working in Tulum as part of its floating population. That number rises and falls with the tourist season and is not reflected in the census figures.[7]
