States and Provinces Bordering the Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico, the world's ninth-largest body of water (1.6 million km²), is bordered by five U.S. states and six Mexican states, forming a 5,700-km (3,500-mile) coastline of immense economic, ecological, and strategic importance.
United States (5 States)
| State | Coastline Length | Major Cities/Ports | Key Features |
|---|
| Texas | 590 km (367 mi) | Houston (Port of Houston), Corpus Christi, Galveston, Brownsville | Longest US Gulf coast; petrochemical hub; Padre Island National Seashore |
| Louisiana | 630 km (390 mi) *including bays | New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Morgan City | Mississippi Delta; wetlands; oil/gas infrastructure; Port of South Louisiana (tonnage #1) |
| Mississippi | 70 km (44 mi) | Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula | Shortest coast; barrier islands; shipbuilding (Ingalls); casinos |
| Alabama | 85 km (53 mi) | Mobile (Port of Mobile) | Mobile Bay; only deepwater port in AL; aerospace, steel |
| Florida | 1,200 km (770 mi) *including panhandle | Pensacola, Panama City, Tampa Bay, Naples, Fort Myers | Longest total; Big Bend (marsh), Ten Thousand Islands, Florida Keys (Gulf side) |
Mexico (6 States)
| State | Region | Major Cities/Ports | Key Features |
|---|
| Tamaulipas | Northeast | Tampico, Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo (inland) | Border with TX; Laguna Madre; oil, agriculture, manufacturing |
| Veracruz | Central | Veracruz (city/port), Coatzacoalcos, Poza Rica | Longest Mexican Gulf coast; major port; oil (Pemex); vanilla, coffee |
| Tabasco | South-central | Villahermosa, Ciudad del Carmen (offshore) | Grijalva-Usumacinta Delta; massive oil/gas (Cantarell, Ku-Maloob-Zaap) |
| Campeche | Yucatán Peninsula | Campeche (city), Ciudad del Carmen | UNESCO walled city; offshore oil (Cantarell complex); Mayan sites |
| Yucatán | Yucatán Peninsula | Progreso (port for Mérida) | Karst coast; cenotes; henequen history; tourism (Chichén Itzá access) |
| Quintana Roo | Yucatán Peninsula | Cozumel, Cancún (Caribbean side, but Gulf influence) | Mostly Caribbean; northern tip touches Gulf; reef tourism |
Shared Waters, Shared Challenges
- Dead zone: Mississippi nutrient runoff creates seasonal hypoxia (~15,000 km²)
- Oil & gas: ~17% US crude production; Mexican deepwater (Pemex) + US (GoM OCS)
- Hurricanes: Shared vulnerability; binational forecasting (NHC/SMN)
- Fisheries: Shrimp, menhaden, reef fish; transboundary stocks
- Shipping: 10,000+ vessel transits/year; widening channels
- Climate change: Sea-level rise, intensifying storms, ocean acidification
Governance
- US: Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission; GOMA (Gulf of Mexico Alliance)
- Mexico: SEMARNAT, CONAPESCA, state governments
- Binational: US-Mexico Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem Project; MEXUSGULF contingency plan
The Gulf's 11 political jurisdictions share one interconnected marine ecosystem—making cooperation essential for its productivity and resilience.
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