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The '''Gulf of Mexico''' ({{langx|es|Golfo de México}}) is an [[oceanic basin|ocean basin]] and a [[marginal sea]] of the [[Atlantic Ocean]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deepseawaters.com/Gulf_of_Mexico.htm|title=Gulf of Mexico – a sea in Atlantic Ocean|website=www.deepseawaters.com|access-date=May 30, 2017|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031003758/http://www.deepseawaters.com/Gulf_of_Mexico.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gulf of Mexico Region |url=https://ecowatch.noaa.gov/regions/gulf-of-mexico |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=National Marine Ecosystem Status |language=en}}</ref> mostly surrounded by the North American continent.<ref name="GNIS1">{{cite web|title=Gulf of Mexico|date=January 1, 2000|publisher=[[Geographic Names Information System]]|access-date=July 8, 2010|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:558730|archive-date=December 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231190019/https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=GNISPQ:3:::NO::P3_FID:558730|url-status=deviated}}</ref> It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the [[Gulf Coast of the United States]]; on the southwest and south by the [[Mexican states]] of [[Tamaulipas]], [[Veracruz]], [[Tabasco]], [[Campeche]], [[Yucatán]], and [[Quintana Roo]]; and on the southeast by [[Cuba]]. The U.S coastline bordering the Gulf is about 1,700 miles long. The coastal areas along the [[Southern U.S. states]] of [[Texas]], [[Louisiana]], [[Mississippi]], [[Alabama]], and [[Florida]], which border the gulf on the north, are occasionally referred to as the "[[Third Coast]]" of the United States (in addition to its Atlantic and Pacific coasts), but more often as, "the Gulf Coast".The Mexican coastline of the Gulf about 1,703 miles long, while Cuba has a coastline of about 236 miles on the Gulf.
The Gulf of Mexico took shape approximately 300 million years ago (mya) as a result of [[plate tectonics]].<ref name="HuertaOther2012a">{{Cite journal |last1=Huerta |first1=Audrey D. |last2=Harry |first2=Dennis L. |date=2012 |title=Wilson cycles, tectonic inheritance, and rifting of the North American Gulf of Mexico continental margin |journal=[[Geosphere (journal)|Geosphere]] |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=374–385 |doi=10.1130/GES00725.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The [[Gulf of Mexico basin]] is roughly oval in shape and is approximately {{convert|810|nmi|km mi|abbr=in}} wide. Its floor consists of [[sedimentary rock]]s and recent sediments. It is connected to part of the Atlantic Ocean through the [[Straits of Florida]] between the U.S. and Cuba, and with the [[Caribbean Sea]] via the [[Yucatán Channel]] between Mexico and Cuba. Because of its narrow connection to the Atlantic Ocean, the gulf experiences very small [[Tides|tidal ranges]]. The size of the gulf basin is approximately {{convert|1.6|e6km2|sqmi|abbr=unit}}. Almost half of the basin consists of shallow [[continental shelf]] waters. The volume of water in the basin is roughly {{convert|642e15|USgal|e6km3|abbr=in|sigfig=2|disp=out}} ({{convert|642e15|USgal|e3cumi|abbr=in|sigfig=2|disp=out}}).<ref name="epa">{{cite web |title=General Facts about the Gulf of Mexico |url=http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/about/facts.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061003033047/http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/about/facts.html |archive-date=October 3, 2006 |access-date=December 12, 2020 |publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency]]}}</ref> The gulf is one of the most important [[Offshore drilling|offshore petroleum]] production regions in the world, making up 14% of the United States's total production.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 4, 2024 |title=Gulf of Mexico Fact Sheet |url=https://www.eia.gov/special/gulf_of_mexico/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119002306/https://www.eia.gov/special/gulf_of_mexico/ |archive-date=January 19, 2025 |access-date=January 21, 2025 |website= |publisher=[[United States Energy Information Administration]]}}</ref>
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