Gulf of Mexico facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gulf of Mexico |
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| Golfo de México | |
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Bathymetry of the Gulf of Mexico
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| Location | American Mediterranean Sea |
| Coordinates | 25°N 90°W / 25°N 90°W |
| 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 | |
| Max. width | 1,500 km (930 mi) |
| Surface area | 1,550,000 km2 (600,000 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 1,615 m (5,299 ft) |
| Max. depth | 3,750 to 4,384 m (12,303 to 14,383 ft) |
| Settlements | Veracruz, Houston, New Orleans, Corpus Christi, Tampa, Havana, Southwest Florida, Mobile, Gulfport, Tampico, Key West, Cancún, Ciudad del Carmen, Coatzacoalcos, Panama City |
The Gulf of Mexico (called Golfo de México in Spanish) is a large body of water. It is like a giant bowl in the ocean. It is mostly surrounded by the North American continent. This gulf is part of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Gulf of Mexico is bordered by the United States to the north. It touches the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. To the southwest and south, it borders Mexican states like Tamaulipas and Yucatán. To the southeast, it touches Cuba. People sometimes call the U.S. coastline along the Gulf the "Third Coast."
This huge gulf formed about 300 million years ago. This happened because of plate tectonics. This is how Earth's large plates move and shape the land. The Gulf of Mexico basin is shaped like an oval. It is about 810 nautical miles (1,500 km) wide. Its bottom is made of sedimentary rocks and new sediments.
The Gulf connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Florida. This is between the U.S. and Cuba. It also connects to the Caribbean Sea through the Yucatán Channel. This is between Mexico and Cuba. Because its connection to the Atlantic is narrow, the Gulf has very small tides.
The Gulf basin covers about 1.6 million square kilometers (617,763 sq mi). Almost half of this area has shallow waters. These are called continental shelf waters. The Gulf is very important for getting oil from under the sea. It produces a lot of the oil used in the United States. The moisture from the Gulf of Mexico also affects weather in the U.S. It helps create severe storms in areas like Tornado Alley.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name "Gulf of Mexico" comes from the word Mexica. This refers to the Nahuatl-speaking people. They were also known as the Aztecs. In their religion, the Aztecs called the Gulf Chalchiuhtlicueyecatl. This meant "House of Chalchiuhtlicue". She was their goddess of the seas.
The Maya civilization also used the Gulf. It was a big trade route for them. They might have called it nahá, meaning "great water."
Early European Names
When Europeans first explored the area in the 1500s, they had different names for the Gulf. Early maps did not always label it. Hernán Cortés called it "Sea of the North." Other Spanish explorers called it the "Gulf of Florida" or "Gulf of Cortés."
Some old maps also called it the "Gulf of St. Michael." Other names included "Gulf of Yucatán" or "Yucatán Sea." It was also known as the "Great Antillean Gulf" or "Gulf of New Spain." At one time, New Spain (the Spanish lands) surrounded the Gulf.
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The name "Gulf of Mexico" first appeared on a world map in 1550. It was also in a history book in 1552. Europeans named it after Mexico because sailors had to cross the Gulf to reach Mexico. This name became the most common one by the mid-1600s.
Recent Naming Dispute
On January 20, 2025, the U.S. president signed an order. This order asked U.S. government groups to use the name "Gulf of America." Some map services and news outlets in the U.S. started using this new name.
However, the Mexican president did not agree with this change. This has caused a disagreement about the name. The "Gulf of Mexico" is officially recognized by a group that names international waters. This group includes all three countries that border the Gulf.
Where is the Gulf of Mexico?
The Gulf of Mexico touches many places. Its eastern, northern, and northwestern shores are along the U.S. states. These are Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The U.S. coastline is about 2,700 kilometers (1,678 mi) long. Many rivers from 31 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces flow into it.
The southwestern and southern shores are along Mexican states. These include Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Yucatán. Cuba borders the Gulf on its southeast side. The Gulf is very important for fishing in these countries.
Water Movement
The Gulf Stream is a very strong ocean current. It starts in the Gulf of Mexico. It then flows into the Atlantic Ocean. This current is very warm. Other currents also move in the Gulf. One is a permanent swirling current in the Bay of Campeche.
Many bays and smaller inlets are along the Gulf's coast. Big rivers like the Mississippi River and the Rio Grande flow into the Gulf. The land along the coast is mostly low. It has many marshes, swamps, and sandy beaches.
The Gulf of Mexico has a wide continental shelf. This is the shallow area of the seabed near the coast. This shelf is used for getting oil using offshore drilling rigs. These are mostly in the western Gulf.
Fishing is another big activity. People catch red snapper, shrimp, and crabs. Oysters are also harvested. Other important jobs along the coast include shipping, making chemicals, and tourism.
The Gulf of Mexico usually does not have many earthquakes. But sometimes, small tremors happen. On September 10, 2006, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake happened. It was felt from Louisiana to Florida. No one was hurt, but things fell off shelves.
How the Gulf Was Formed
Most geologists believe that the Gulf of Mexico did not exist before about 300 million years ago. Before that time, the area was dry land. This land was part of a huge continent called Pangaea. There was a long mountain range to the north.
The Gulf basin started to form when Pangaea began to break apart. This process is called rifting. First, valleys formed and filled with red rocks. Then, the Earth's crust stretched and became thinner. This created a wide zone of thinner crust.
Over time, the basin connected to the Pacific and then the Atlantic Ocean. This caused the basin to fill with water. Later, the weight of sediments pushed the crust down even more. This made the Gulf deeper.
In 2014, scientists found a special brine pool deep below the Gulf's surface. It was about 3,300 feet (1,000 m) deep. This pool is much saltier than the surrounding water. It is also warmer. Animals are drawn to it, but they cannot survive once they enter. It has been called the "Jacuzzi of Despair." Only certain bacteria and some special animals can live there.
The Gulf of Mexico has different parts. About 41% is continental slope. 32% is continental shelf. And 24% is a deep, flat area called the abyssal plain. The deepest part is the Sigsbee Deep.
The main areas of the Gulf include:
- The Gulf of Mexico basin: This has the Sigsbee Deep.
- The Northeast Gulf of Mexico: This is near Mississippi and Florida.
- The South Florida Continental Shelf and Slope: This includes the Florida Keys.
- The Campeche Bank: This is off the coast of Mexico.
- The Bay of Campeche: This is a large curve in the Mexican coastline.
- The Western Gulf of Mexico: This is between Veracruz and the Rio Grande.
- The Northwest Gulf of Mexico: This stretches from Alabama to the Rio Grande.
History of the Gulf
Early Times
Long ago, the Maya civilization used the Gulf of Mexico. They used it as a trade route. This was off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Spanish Explorers
Christopher Columbus explored the Americas. But his ships did not reach the Gulf of Mexico. The first European who might have explored the Gulf was Amerigo Vespucci in 1497. However, many historians are not sure if his trip happened as described.
In 1517, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba found the Yucatán Peninsula. This was the first time Europeans met an advanced civilization in the Americas. They saw strong buildings and complex societies. They also hoped to find gold.
This led to more expeditions. One was led by Hernán Cortés in 1519. His trip led to the Spanish conquest of Mexico.
In 1523, a Spanish treasure ship sank off Padre Island, Texas. When news reached Mexico City, a rescue team was sent. This loss and other ship disasters led to a plan. Spain wanted to build a settlement on the northern Gulf Coast. This would protect ships and help castaways. So, an expedition landed at Pensacola Bay in 1559.
In 1526, Charles V allowed Pánfilo de Narváez to start settlements. These were along the present-day U.S. Gulf Coast. His group spotted land north of Tampa Bay in 1528.
French Settlements
In 1697, a French sailor named Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville was chosen. He was to find the mouth of the Mississippi River. He was also to settle Louisiana. This area was named by French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle.
D'Iberville's ships reached Santa Rosa Island in 1699. He then sailed to Mobile Bay. He explored Massacre Island. He built Fort Maurepas near Biloxi. This was the first permanent French settlement in the area.
Life in the Gulf
The Gulf of Mexico is home to many different kinds of life. This includes tiny bacteria and larger animals. You can find crabs, sea pens, and different kinds of fish. Cetaceans, like whales, also live there.
Recently, a type of Bryde's whale living in the Gulf was found to be a unique subspecies. This makes them one of the most endangered whales in the world. The Gulf of Mexico provides more fish, shrimp, and shellfish each year than many other U.S. coastal areas combined.
Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution have many samples from the Gulf. These help them understand the impact of events like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These samples were collected for years. They help predict how future oil explorations might affect the environment.
Pollution in the Gulf
The biggest threats to the Gulf's environment are pollution from farms and oil drilling. There are 27,000 old oil and gas wells under the Gulf. Many of these have not been checked for problems. In 1973, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stopped companies from dumping chemical waste into the Gulf.
There are often "red tide" algae blooms. These kill fish and marine mammals. They can also cause breathing problems for people and pets near the shore. This is a big problem for the Florida coast.
The Gulf also has a hypoxic "dead zone." This area has very little oxygen. It runs along the Texas–Louisiana coastline. In 2017, it was the largest ever recorded. This happens because too much nitrogen and phosphorus from farms flow into the Gulf. This causes algae to grow too much and use up the oxygen.
Oil Spills
The oil industry has thousands of small accidents each year in the Gulf of Mexico. The biggest oil spill in the Gulf happened in 1979. The Ixtoc I oil platform had a huge explosion. Oil leaked until the well was finally stopped in 1980.
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded. It was about 64 kilometers (40 mi) off the Louisiana coast. The platform later sank. Oil flowed from the wellhead deep on the ocean floor. This created a huge oil slick. It covered hundreds of square kilometers. This spill threatened marine life and coastal wetlands. It also hurt the jobs of shrimpers and fishermen.
The leak was finally stopped in July 2010. The company responsible agreed to pay billions of dollars. This was for cleanup, penalties, and to fix the damage.
In May 2016, another oil leak happened. Oil from Shell's Brutus oil rig spilled 2,100 barrels of oil. This created a large oil slick in the sea.
Weather in the Gulf
Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is very important for tornadoes. It helps create tornadoes and other severe weather in Tornado Alley. This is an area in the U.S. that has many tornadoes. Dry air from the Rocky Mountains mixes with Gulf moisture. This creates strong storms that can produce very powerful tornadoes.
The warm water in the Gulf can also power strong and dangerous Atlantic hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was an example. When a hurricane passes over, it can cool the water. But in the Gulf, the water often warms up again quickly. This means the Gulf can support more hurricanes. From 1970 to 2020, the surface temperatures in the Gulf warmed faster than the global ocean surface.
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