Gulf of California
Also known as Sea of Cortez, Sea of Cortés, Vermilion Sea, Sea of Cortes
gulf of the Pacific Ocean on the coast of Mexico
AI overview
The Gulf of California is a body of water where the Pacific Ocean meets Mexico's coastline. It's an important marine region that supports diverse ocean life and is significant to Mexico's fishing industry and coastal communities.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Area
- 160000
- Image
- Baja peninsula (mexico) 250m.jpg
- Length
- 1126
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- Commons category
- Gulf of California
- Commons gallery
- Gulf of California
- native label
- Gulf of California
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Article
The Gulf of California (Spanish: Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (Mar de Cortés) or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (Mar Bermejo), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California peninsula from the Mexican mainland. It is bordered by the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa with a coastline of approximately 4,000 km (2,500 mi). Rivers that flow into the Gulf of California include the Colorado, Fuerte, Mayo, Sinaloa, Sonora, and the Yaqui. The surface of the gulf is about 160,000 km (62,000 sq mi). Maximum depths exceed 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) because of the complex geology, linked to plate tectonics.
The gulf is thought to be one of the most diverse seas on Earth and is home to more than 5,000 species of micro-invertebrates. Parts of the Gulf of California are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.