25°N90°W / 25°N 90°W / 25; -90 (Gulf of Mexico)
River sources
Rio Grande, Mississippi River, Mobile River, Panuco River, Jamapa River, Pascagoula River, Tecolutla River, Usumacinta River, Apalachicola river
Ocean/sea sources
Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea
Basin countries
List
Cuba Mexico United States of America
Max. width
1,500 km (932.06 mi)
Surface area
1,550,000 km2 (600,000 sq mi)
Average depth
1,615 metres (5,299 ft)[1]
Max. depth
3,750 to 4,384 metres (12,303 to 14,383 ft)[1]
Settlements
Veracruz, Houston, New Orleans, Corpus Christi, Tampa, Havana, Southwest Florida, Mobile, Gulfport, Tampico, Key West, Cancún, Ciudad del Carmen, Coatzacoalcos, Panama City
Galveston harbor by Verner Moore White
The Gulf of Mexico (Spanish: Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean,[2] mostly surrounded by the North American continent.[3] It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southwest and south by the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo; and on the southeast by Cuba. The Southern U.S. states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, which border the gulf on the north, are often referred to as the "Third Coast" of the United States (in addition to its Atlantic and Pacific coasts).
The Gulf of Mexico took shape approximately 300 million years ago as a result of plate tectonics.[4] The Gulf of Mexico basin is roughly oval in shape and is approximately 810 nautical miles (1,500 km; 930 mi) wide. Its floor consists of sedimentary rocks and recent sediments. It is connected to part of the Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Florida between the U.S. and Cuba, and with the Caribbean Sea via the Yucatán Channel between Mexico and Cuba. Because of its narrow connection to the Atlantic Ocean, the gulf experiences very small tidal ranges. The size of the gulf basin is approximately 1.6 million km2 (615,000 sq mi). Almost half of the basin consists of shallow continental shelf waters. The volume of water in the basin is roughly 2.4×106 cubic kilometers (5.8×105 cubic miles).[5] The gulf is one of the most important offshore petroleum production regions in the world, making up one-sixth of the United States' total production.[6]
^ ab"General Facts about the Gulf of Mexico". GulfBase.org. Archived from the original on December 10, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
^"Gulf of Mexico – a sea in Atlantic Ocean". www.deepseawaters.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
^"Gulf of Mexico". Geographic Names Information System. January 1, 2000. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
^Huerta, A.D., and D.L. Harry (2012) Wilson cycles, tectonic inheritance, and rifting of the North American Gulf of Mexico continental margin. Geosphere. 8(1):GES00725.1, first published on March 6, 2012, doi:10.1130/GES00725.1
^"General Facts about the Gulf of Mexico". epa.gov. Archived from the original on October 3, 2006. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
^"Gulf of Mexico Fact Sheet". U.S. Energy Information Administration. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
The GulfofMexico (Spanish: Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent...
coast of the United States in the GulfofMexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum...
such as the Persian Gulf, GulfofMexico, Gulfof Finland, and Gulfof Aden. List ofgulfs Gregory, George (1816). A Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. Vol...
Southern United States where they meet the GulfofMexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the GulfofMexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama...
formation of the GulfofMexico, an oceanic rift basin located between North America and the Yucatan Block, was preceded by the breakup of the Supercontinent...
limit of the gulf as: "A line joining Piaxtla Point (latitude 23°38'N) on the west coast of the mainland ofMexico, and the southern extreme of Lower...
California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas), to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by the GulfofMexico, and to the southeast by Belize...
also caused an oil well fire and a massive offshore oil spill in the GulfofMexico, considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the world, and...
and the GulfofMexico to the east. Human presence in Pre-Columbian Mexico dates back to 8,000 BCE, making it one of the world's six cradles of civilization...
The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the GulfofMexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern...
Sea – 2 million km2 Sea of Okhotsk – 1.583 million km2 GulfofMexico – 1.550 million km2 Gulfof Alaska – 1.533 million km2 Barents Sea – 1.4 million km2...
GulfofMexico Pacific Ocean Central America United States of America Mexico City AG Baja California Baja California Sur Campeche Chiapas Chihuahua Coahuila...
Petroleum Company, Gulf Pipeline Company, and Gulf Refining companies of Texas. The name of the company refers to the GulfofMexico where Beaumont lies...
The Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) is a species of toadfish found in the GulfofMexico. Gulf toadfish commonly weigh 2 to 3 pounds (0.91 to 1.36 kg). and...
The Gulf Cartel (Spanish: Cártel del Golfo, Golfos, or CDG) is a criminal syndicate and drug trafficking organization in Mexico, and perhaps one of the...
Atlantic Ocean Malian GulfGulfof Mannar, between India and Sri Lanka GulfofMexico, between Mexico, the United States, and Cuba Gulfof Morbihan, a natural...
under the Marshallese flag of convenience. The rig was leased to BP on a three-year contract for deployment in the GulfofMexico following construction....
This is a list of seaports in Mexico. Mexico's 10 busiest freight ports by total cargo tonnage "COMMERCIAL PORTS OFMEXICO 2013 PROFILE" (PDF) (in Spanish)...
Persian Gulf (Persian: خلیج فارس, romanized: xalij-e fârs, lit. 'Gulfof Fars', pronounced [xæliːdʒe fɒːɾs]), sometimes called the Arabian Gulf (Arabic:...
semi-submersible drilling rig Sedco 135 in the Bay of Campeche of the GulfofMexico, about 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche in waters 50 m...
the presence of oil slicks across the north-central GulfofMexico. Results confirmed extensive natural oil seepage in the GulfofMexico, especially in...
The Gulfof Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. Null...
mediterranean dilution basin which includes the Caribbean Sea and the GulfofMexico.: 15, 35, 637–643 The name, which has been employed particularly by...
altiplano, including Mexico City and Guadalajara. Low-lying areas along the GulfofMexico receive in excess of 1,000 millimeters (39.4 in) of rainfall in an...
it stretched from Canada to Honduras. The cyclone moved through the GulfofMexico and then through the eastern United States before moving on to eastern...
coastal geography boundaries the GulfofMexico encompassing a geographical distance relative bearing at 367 miles (591 km) of coastline according to CRS and...
species of crab native to the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and the GulfofMexico, and introduced internationally. C. sapidus is of considerable...
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