Gulf of mexico

The Gulf of Mexico (in English, Gulf of Mexico) is an oceanic basin contained between the coasts of Mexico, the United States and Cuba. The Mexican states that have a coast on this gulf are: Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan; Americans are: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The Florida peninsula and the island of Cuba occupy the eastern part of the gulf, where its outlet to the Atlantic Ocean is located, while the Yucatan peninsula, also to the east, separates the gulf from the Caribbean Sea, and next to they form the American Mediterranean Sea.

Geography

The Gulf of Mexico, and its neighbor the Caribbean Sea; It is a maritime region of the Atlantic Ocean that is almost completely surrounded by the American continent and by islands. For this reason, the combination of both is called the American Mediterranean Sea. Mexico has extensive continental platforms that go into the sea, the Caribbean platforms are smaller and end in chasms that reach 2,000 to 3,000 meters deep. Scientific studies carried out in both seas are abundant; however, the history of its geological evolution still presents important knowledge gaps. While the Caribbean Sea presents isolated seismic phenomena and volcanic eruptions, the Gulf of Mexico basin is geologically more organized.

Both maritime regions are linked to the Atlantic Ocean through numerous straits and passes which through numerous channels make their way to the Pacific Ocean. However, the exchange of water masses between the different sea basins is limited, since the communication zones are usually shallow waters. The Yucatan channel connects the Caribbean Sea with the Gulf of Mexico. The waters of the Caribbean are clear, with less salinity than those of the Atlantic, and they circulate in an anti-clockwise direction. The water flows into the Caribbean mainly through the straits of the Lesser Antilles, where it warms up and leaves the region through the Yucatan channel towards the Gulf of Mexico. These waters here form the sources of the Gulf Stream. The Caribbean Sea is located in the area of the northern trade winds and, therefore, is characterized by the constant presence of easterly winds. The greatest rainfall occurs throughout the hot tropical summer. At this time, the arrival of most hurricanes from the Atlantic in the American Mediterranean also occurs, while tropical cyclones that form locally are scarce.

The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea are home to one of the most spectacular and biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth. In addition to rare species such as the manatee or sea cow, the playful spotted dolphins and the gigantic whale sharks, there are also many sea turtles, alligators and various species of cranes. The Gulf of Mexico, in particular, stands out for its wealth of fisheries; the most important species are, for example, sea trout, char (a salmonid), sole, mackerel, tuna, sailfish, mojarra, grouper and cubera.

The region suffers from serious environmental problems. Tourism, sport fishing and commercial fishing have already destroyed some small coral islands. Local shrimpers clash with turtle protectors and environmentalists worry about high by-catch of threatened species. However, in recent years the decline of some species of pelicans and cranes has been halted; In addition, environmental groups are currently dedicated to the protection of many of the small islands.

Products such as oil and natural gas, iron ore, bauxite, sugar, coffee, and bananas are some of the most important trade goods in the American Mediterranean. In this maritime region there are thousands of oil drilling rigs and refineries, so accidental spills and fires on the rigs that are difficult to control are almost inevitable. In addition, this region has a strong economic dependence on American and European trade, as well as the tourism industry.

Maritime border delimitation agreements

• United Mexican States and Republic of Cuba. Agreement on the delimitation of the maritime spaces of the United Mexican States and the Republic of Cuba, in the areas in which these spaces will be adjacent by virtue of the establishment of the exclusive economic zone of Mexico and the eventual creation of an economic zone of Cuba (or its equivalent) of 26 July 1976.

• United States and the United States of America. Treaty to resolve the border and outstanding differences and to keep the rivers Bravo and Colorado as the international border between the United Mexican States and the United States of America, of 23 November 1970; Treaty on Maritime Limits between the United Mexican States and the United States of America of 4 May 1978, and Treaty between the Government of the United Mexican States and the Government of the United States of America on the delimitation of the continental shelf in the western region,

• United States of America and the Republic of Cuba. Agreement on Maritime Limits between the United States of America and the Republic of Cuba of 16 December 1977.

History

Although Christopher Columbus is credited as the discoverer of the Americas, none of the ships on his four voyages reached the Gulf of Mexico. In the year 1492 he took possession of the Bahamas on behalf of the Spanish Crown, convinced that he had found a new sea route to Asia. Columbus in subsequent voyages only sailed in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, around the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola. The first European to explore in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico was Américo Vespucci in 1497. He followed the continental coastline of Central America before returning to the Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Florida, between the Florida peninsula and the island of Cuba.. In his letters, Vespucci described this trip, and once Juan de la Cosa returned to Spain he made a famous map that already represents Cuba as an island (Juan de la Cosa's map).

In 1506, Hernán Cortés took part in the conquest of Hispaniola and Cuba, receiving a large estate of land and Indian slaves for his efforts. In 1510, he accompanied Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, an assistant to the governor of Hispaniola, on his expedition to conquer Cuba. In 1518 Velázquez put him in command of an expedition to explore and secure the interior of Mexico for colonization.

In 1517, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba discovered the Yucatán peninsula, being the first European to encounter an advanced civilization on the American continent, which had buildings of solid construction and a complex social organization that he recognized as comparable to those of the The old world; he also had reason to expect that this new land would contain gold. All this encouraged two more expeditions, the first in 1518, under the command of Juan de Grijalva, and the second in 1520, under the command of Hernán Cortés, which led to Spanish exploration, military invasion, and ultimately the settlements and colonization known as the conquest of Mexico. Hernández did not live to see the continuation of his work: he died in 1517, the year of his expedition, as a result of injuries and extreme thirst suffered during the voyage, and disappointed to learn that Diego Velázquez had given priority to Grijalva as captain of the next expedition to the Yucatan.

In 1523, Ángel de Villafañe sailed for Mexico City, but was shipwrecked en route along the coast of Padre Island, Texas, in 1554. When news of the disaster reached Mexico City, the viceroy requested a rescue fleet and immediately sent Villafañe to march overland until he found the ships laden with treasure. Villafañe traveled to Pánuco and hired a boat to transport him to the site, which had already been visited from that community. He arrived in time to greet García de Escalante Alvarado (Pedro de Alvarado's nephew), commander of the salvage operation, when Alvarado arrived by sea on July 22, 1554. The team worked until September 12 to save the treasure. from Padre Island. This loss, in combination with other shipping disasters throughout the Gulf of Mexico, gave rise to a plan to establish a settlement on the northern Gulf coast to protect shipping and expedite the rescue of the castaways. As a result, the expedition of Tristán de Luna y Arellano was sent, which landed in Pensacola Bay on August 15, 1559.

On December 11, 1526, Charles V granted Pánfilo de Narváez a license to claim what is now the Gulf Coast of the United States, known as the Narváez expedition. The contract gave him one year to raise an army, get out of Spain, be big enough to found at least two cities of 100 people each, and garrison two more fortresses anywhere along the coast. On April 7, 1528, they sighted land north of what is now Tampa Bay. He turned south and traveled for two days in search of a great port that Miruelo, a master pilot, knew. Sometime during those two days, one of the five remaining ships was lost on the rugged coast, but nothing more is known of it.

Although Spain maintained control of this maritime region throughout the following centuries, other countries such as Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark also established colonies on the eastern Caribbean islands. In 1697, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville sailed from France and was chosen by the Minister of the Navy to lead an expedition to discover the mouth of the Mississippi River and colonize the Louisiana coveted by the English. Iberville's fleet sailed from Brest on October 24, 1698. On January 25, 1699, Iberville reached Santa Rosa Island off Pensacola, founded by the Spanish; he sailed from there to Mobile Bay and explored Massacre Island, later renamed Dauphin Island. He dropped anchor between Cat Island and Ship Island, and on February 13, 1699, moved to the mainland, Biloxi, with his brother Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. completed a fort on the northeast side of Biloxi Bay, slightly to the rear of what is now Ocean Springs, Mississippi. This fort was known as Fort Maurepas or Old Biloxi. A few days later, on May 4, Pierre Le Moyne embarked for France, leaving his teenage brother, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, as second-in-command of the French detachment. Until the beginning of the 19th century, the Gulf of Mexico was known by the name of Seno Mexicano or Seno Mexicano.

In the 19th century, many US merchant ships sailed the Caribbean, especially after 1848, when many gold prospectors were heading by sea to California.

Since World War II, many Caribbean islands have been home to US military bases that were created to protect the Panama Canal. The Guantánamo Naval Base in Cuba (built in 1899) is the oldest US military installation in the Caribbean.

In the portion of the Gulf of Mexico corresponding to the northern coast of the Yucatan peninsula, towards the Yucatan channel, a meteorite would have fallen 65 million years ago, forming a crater 180 km in diameter, called the Chicxulub crater, and causing the extinction of dinosaurs and other species.

Marine limits

The highest international authority on the delimitation of seas, the «International Hydrographic Organization» (IHO), defines in its world reference publication, «Limits of oceans and seas» (Limits of oceans y mares) (3rd edition of 1953), the Gulf of Mexico (which has the identification number 26) as follows:

In Southeast,
A line that unites the Cape Catoche beacon (21o 37' N, 87o 04'O) with the lighthouse of Cape Antonio in Cuba, through this island to the meridian 83o O and north along this meridian to the latitude of the southern tip of Tortugas Secas (24o 35' N), along that parallel in the east direction to Rebecca Shoal (82o 35' W)

On the Southeast,
A line joining Cape Catoche Light (21o 37' N, 87o 04' W) with the Light on Cape Antonio in Cuba, through this island to the meridian of 83oW and the Nortward along this meridian to the narrow of the South point of the Dry Tortugas (24o 35' N), along this parallel Eastward to Rebecca Shoal (82o 35' W) thence through the main waters considered

Limits of oceans and you are. Page 14.