Tijuana ( [ tiːˈwɑːnə ] ; [ tiˈxwana ] ) is the largest city in Baja California and on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area , part of the international San Diego -- Tijuana metropolitan area . Tijuana is located on the Gold Coast of Baja California , and is the municipal seat and cultural and commercial center of Tijuana Municipality . Tijuana is the 45th largest city in the Americas and is the westernmost city in Mexico . The Tijuana metropolitan area , and in Spanish the Zona Metropolitana de Tijuana , is located on the Pacific Ocean in Mexico .
Tijuana is on an island.