Except for some higher areas in the south, the relief is generally low and flat, and the land is largely covered with lakes, lagoons, and wetlands, including those in the extensive Centla Wetlands Biosphere Reserve in the northeast. The state is drained by the Grijalva (Grijalva River) (also known as the Tabasco) and Usumacinta (Usumacinta River) rivers, which, with their tributaries, deposit fertile soils in floodplains and act as major avenues of transportation.

Nearly half the population lives in rural areas, where the chief crops are cacao, copra (from coconuts), corn (maize), sugarcane, and tropical fruits (notably papayas and bananas). Forestry (especially mahogany and red cedar), beekeeping, fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, and cattle raising are also important. Petroleum, which is extracted from several fields and refined locally, is a major source of employment and income in the state.

Tabasco became a state in 1824. Its government is headed by a governor, who is elected to a single six-year term. Members of the unicameral legislature, the State Congress, are elected to three-year terms. Tabasco is divided into local governmental units called municipios (municipalities), each of which is headquartered in a prominent city, town, or village. The state's educational institutions include the Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco (founded 1958, in Villahermosa) and the People's University of Chontalpa (1998, in Cárdenas). Villahermosa is linked by highway with Cárdenas, Paraíso, and cities in neighbouring states. The principal port is Frontera. Area 9,756 square miles (25,267 square km). Pop. (2000) 1,891,829; (2005) 1,989,969.