After the Bay of Bengal, located between India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh, with an extension of 2,172,000 km², The Gulf of Mexico is the second largest on the planet, with a surface area of 1,623,000 km².
Likewise, it is located between the coasts of Mexico, the United States and Cuba, going out towards the Atlantic Ocean; and in the Yucatan peninsula it is separated from the Caribbean Sea.
Features of the Gulf of Mexico
As we mentioned above, It is a semi-enclosed sea located in the North Atlantic with a great diversity of habitats. and marine ecosystems that include estuaries, rocky bottoms, reefs, and a large expanse of deep sea.
Likewise, its waters are warm, with an average annual temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. Its coasts are made up of beaches, mangrove swamps and rocky cliffs; It also has numerous islands and coral reefs; and in its basin there are important rivers that flow into the gulf, such as the Rio Grande and the Pánuco River.
Economic importance
Due to its extension, it has a wide variety of marine resources and it is estimated that some 300 species that inhabit the Gulf of Mexico, including fish, crustaceans and mollusks, support hundreds of local fishermen, reaching an annual production of approximately one million tons.
Furthermore, it is not only a major source of oil and natural gas; it also brings together many tourist destinations thanks to its beaches, and a little more than 35% of the country’s inhabitants live on its coasts, who depend in one way or another on its marine resources. Consequently, It is highly relevant within the exclusive Economic Zones of Mexico and the United States.
Animals that inhabit the Gulf of Mexico
In addition to its economic value, has immeasurable ecological value, as it is home to marine birds and mammals, hawksbill turtles, dolphins, lobsters, octopus, shrimp and crabs; as well as more than 15 thousand species, including some 600 species of fish.
However, despite being one of the areas with the greatest biodiversity in the Atlantic Ocean, it faces formidable survival challenges since urban discharges, industrial waste and the constant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have polluted its waters to the maximum, affecting the life in their ecosystems.
States bordering this ocean basin
Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche and Yucatán have beautiful beaches that border the Gulf of Mexico. Likewise, they have important commercial ports such as Altamira and Tampico, in Tamaulipas; Tuxpan, Coatzacoalcos, Dos Bocas and the Port of Veracruz, in Veracruz; and Puerto Progreso, in Yucatan.
Where is the Gulf of Mexico best enjoyed?
There are countless tourist spots to enjoy its temperate waters, some favorites are:
- Miramar Beach, in Tamaulipas.
- Costa Esmeralda, Las Palmitas and Escondida beach in Veracruz.
- Aguada Island and Seybaplaya in Campeche.
- Puerto Progreso, Las Coloradas beach and Sisal beach in Yucatan.
Keep reading: 26 beaches in Veracruz, paradises in the Gulf of Mexico