El Carmen, often known as "Carmen", is a town and municipality of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. The population was 6,996 at the 2005 census. Located in the Salinas Valley region, it is one of the smallest municipalities of the state of Nuevo León, is bordered by the municipalities of Salinas Victoria at North and East, General Escobedo at South, Abasolo and Hidalgo at West.