long coastal lagoon in Veracruz state, eastern Mexico. An inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, it extends approximately 65 miles (105 km) southward from Tampico. A long, narrow, sandy peninsula from which Cape Rojo projects eastward shelters the 12-mile- (19-km-) wide lagoon from the Gulf. The mouth of the lagoon, the Corazones, is at its southern end, where the lagoon connects to the Gulf. Numerous islands, the largest of which are Idolo and Juana Ramírez, lie within the lagoon, which is navigable for shallow-draft vessels. The town of Tamiahua, an agricultural centre (sugarcane and fruit), lies on the mainland at the lagoon's southwestern end, and San Jerónimo is on its western shore.