Tampico, located at , is the main city in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and the Mexican Gulf's main economic powerhouse. The city lies in a rich petroleum-producing region; it is a chief commercial center of northeastern Mexico and one of the most important seaports of the country. The city was founded by Spain in 1554. In 2003 the estimated population of Tampico was about 307,000 people, although the metropolitan area, including Ciudad Madero and Altamira, raises that number to 769,070.

The name "Tampico" is of Huastec origin: tam-piko, meaning "place of – otters", (literally "water dogs"). The city is surrounded by rivers and lagoons which hosted a large population of otters in the past.

In 1921, Mexican commercial aviation started here, as its first flight, by Mexicana Airlines, took off from Tampico's General Francisco Javier Mina International Airport to Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City.

In 1926, the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in Mexico was built there.

Tampico's Country Club, and its golf course, is one of the oldest in Mexico. Seafood is important in the city.