The Gulf of Mexico: The Major Gulf Off the Southern U.S. Coast

The Gulf of Mexico is the vast gulf bordering the southern United States. Key facts:

• Bordering U.S. States: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas (1,680 miles of U.S. coastline).
• Connections: Atlantic Ocean via Straits of Florida; Caribbean Sea via Yucatán Channel.
• Size: ~1.6 million km² (615,000 sq mi), ninth largest water body globally.
• Economic Importance: Major oil/gas production (offshore rigs), fisheries, shipping, tourism.
• Ecology: Coral reefs, wetlands, estuaries; threatened by hypoxia (dead zone), spills, hurricanes.

It is a semi-enclosed marginal sea of the Atlantic, central to the economy and environment of the Gulf Coast region.