Cancun is located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, which is in the southeastern part of the country. The city is on the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, facing the Caribbean Sea. It is essentially a service town for the L-shaped resort area of Isla Cancún, which is 13 miles long by 0.25 mile wide. The state of Quintana Roo has a coastline to the east with the Caribbean Sea and to the north with the Gulf of Mexico.