Ojinaga, named after Juarista governor Manuel Ojinaga, boasts a 2005 census population of 18,378 people in the town, which serves as municipal seat of the municipality of 21,157 inhabitants. The municipality has an area of 9,500.50 km² (3,668.16 sq mi), and includes numerous very small outlying communities, the largest of which are El Oasis and La Esmeralda. Ojinaga was founded around 1200 A.D. by the PuebloNative Americans, who were later assimilated by Uto-Aztecan speakers. Ojinaga was first visited by Spanish explorers (led by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca) in 1535.
Because of its location on the Río Bravo border between Chihuahua and the U.S. state of Texas, Ojinaga has sometimes been a station for narcotic smuggling and illegal immigration. The creation of the "La Entrada al Pacífico" or "The Entrance to the Pacific", has made Ojinaga and Presidio, Texas, into an inland trade corridor between the two countries. The route extends into Odessa-Midland, Texas, which is the major hub for west Texas. Odessa and Midland which have 100,000 people each will benefit greatly from this corridor. Several changes have also had to be made to the port of entry in Presidio, Texas, to accommodate the growing amount of traffic crossing the border. Truck lanes for heavy vehicles have also been added
See also
Ojinaga Cut, a parcel of land that gave rise to an international border dispute