Guide Note

The Gulf of Mexico is the 9th largest body of water in the world. Despite being considered its own entity, it is not an isolated body of water. Rather, the Gulf of Mexico is an extension of the Atlantic Ocean. It borders much of the southern portion of North America as well as the eastern portion of Central America.

Fast Facts

Surrounded by the United States, Mexico and Cuba
Covers 615 million square miles
Provides 1,680 miles of coastline
Deepest point is Sigsbee Deep, at over 14,000 feet
Amerigo Vespucci is believed to be the first European to visit in 1497
The Gulf Stream is one of the strongest known ocean currents

Geographic features

The Gulf of Mexico is an oval-shaped basin that is known for its shallower depths and warmer temperatures than the Atlantic Ocean. Its coastal placement also makes it the source of some of the strongest ocean currents in the world, including the Gulf Stream current.

Hurricane territory

The gulf's warm temperatures and proximity to much colder waters makes it prone to generating Hurricanes on a relatively regular basis. Most notably, the Gulf of Mexico produced Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and many other cities in 2005.

Categories

Geography | Travel | Outdoor Travel | North American Destinations

View Note History

Gulf of Mexico

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: Gulf of Mexico
GulfBase.org: General Facts About the Gulf of Mexico
Minerals Management Service: Historic Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico
Microbe Life: The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
Texas State Historical Association: Gulf of Mexico
Houston Chronicle: "Guarding the Gulf: Preserving the Quality of Our Offshore Waters is a Worthy New Year's Resolution for Area Leaders" (2008)
Video: Jewfish (Goliath Grouper) in Dry Tortugas (Time:00:48)

Gulf of Mexico News

Google News:Gulf of Mexico News
Weather Underground: Marine Weather
Stormsurf: Florida Gulf of Mexico Surf Report
Science Daily: Dead Zone Off Texas Coast Existed Since 1985(April 4, 2008)
Science Daily: Recovering Artifacts From 200-year-old Shipwreck, Deep In Gulf Of Mexico (2007)

Gulf of Mexico History and Background

GulfBase.org: Exploration History
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: General Facts about the Gulf of Mexico
NOAA Ocean Explorer: Gulf of Mexico 2003| Gulf of Mexico Deep Sea Habitats

Early History

Ships of Discovery: Gulf of Mexico Shipwrecks
ABC News: Science Team to Search Gulf of Mexico (2007)
National Park Service: Gulf Islands National Seashore- Age of Discovery

Modern History

Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium: Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Tulane University: The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone and Red Tides
Naples Daily News: "On The Mark: Political Knee Jerk Reactions" (2008)
New York Times: "Big Oil Find Is Reported Deep in Gulf" (2006)

Hurricanes

NOAA: Hurricanes Portal
The Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML): Memorable Gulf Coast Hurricanes of the 20th Century
The 1900 Storm: The 1900 Storm: Galveston, Texas
NOAA: Hurricane Audrey at 50
Hurricane Carla
The Weather Channel: Storms of the Century: #6 - Hurricane Camille
NOAA: Andrew
NOAA: Hurricane Katrina
NASA: Rita

Gulf of Mexico Educational Resources

Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission: Non-Native Aquatic Species in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Regions
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Educator and Student Resources
Gulf of Mexico Research Plan: Planning, Prioritizing, and Implementing Gulf of Mexico
GulfBase.org: Resource Database for Gulf of Mexico Research

Gulf of Mexico Travel

TripAdvisor: Central Mexico and Gulf Coast Tourism

Gulf of Mexico Transportation

Gulf of Mexico Travel Packages

St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau: St. Petersburg / Clearwater
Spadre.com: South Padre Island Texas Live Web Cams
Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau: Alabama Gulf Coast Vacations
Louisiana Travel
Yahoo! Travel: Biloxi, MS Hotel Deals
The Official Site of Texas Tourism: Texas Travel - Gulf Coast

Gulf of Mexico Activities

AtlanticPanic.com: Florida Keys Fishing Charters
Dive-centers.net: Dive Centers Gulf Of Mexico
Explore Mexico Tours: Sailing Mexico & Sailing the Gulf of Mexico
Florida Deep Sea Fishing Charters: Florida Deep Sea Fishing

Gulf of Mexico Photos and Videos

Google Image Search: Gulf of Mexico
Yahoo! Image Search: Gulf of Mexico
Picsearch: Gulf of Mexico
YouTube & Google Video Search: Gulf of Mexico
Yahoo! Video Search: Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico Blogs and Forums

Google Blog Search: Gulf of Mexico
3reef.com: Gulf of Mexico "Dead Zone" Forum
Fishy Fishing: Saltwater Fishing » Gulf of Mexico
Global Surfers: Surf on the Gulf in Mexico

Gulf of Mexico Organizations and Societies

Gulf of Mexico Fun Stuff

RecipeZaar: Gulf Coast Recipes
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Kid's Stuff
YouTube: Mr. Bill Says "Shell Noooo!" to LNG in the Gulf of Mexico (Time:01:41)

Gulf of Mexico Books and Merchandise

Google Product Search: Gulf of Mexico Merchandise
Amazon.com: Books | DVDs
eBay: Gulf of Mexico Merchandise

Related Searches

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