Measuring the Gulf of Mexico: Area in Square Kilometers, Not Meters Squared

The Gulf of Mexico's area is properly expressed in square kilometers (km²) or square miles (mi²), not "meters squared" (which would be an absurdly large number for a body of water).

• ~1.55 million km²
• ~600,000 mi²

"Meters squared" (m²) is a unit for small areas (e.g., a room). For oceans, use km² or mi².