11 Geographic Facts About the Gulf of Mexico

11 Geographic Facts About the Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico is a large ocean basin near the Southeastern United States. It is a part of the Atlantic Ocean and is bounded by Mexico to the southwest, Cuba to the southeast, and the Gulf Coast of the United States on the north, which includes the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas (map). The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world at a width of 810 nautical miles (1,500 km). The entire basin is about 600,000 square miles (1.5 million sq km). Most of the basin consists of shallow intertidal areas, but its deepest point is called Sigsbee Deep and has an estimated depth of about 14,383 feet (4,384 m).The Gulf of Mexico itself and the regions surrounding it are highly biodiverse and feature large fishing economies. The economics of the area as well as the environment thus are sensitive to pollution.   To learn more about the Gulf of Mexico, visit the  Gulf of Mexico Program  from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Gulf of Mexico Geographic Facts Here are 11 facts about the geography of the region: 1) The Gulf of Mexico likely formed as a result of seafloor subsidence (or the gradual sinking of the seafloor) about 300 million years ago. 2) The first European exploration of the Gulf of Mexico occurred in 1497 when Amerigo Vespucci sailed along Central America and entered the Atlantic Ocean through the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida (the strip of water between present-day Florida and Cuba). 3) Further exploration of the Gulf of Mexico continued throughout the 1500s, and after numerous shipwrecks in the region, settlers and explorers decided to establish a settlement along the northern Gulf Coast. They said this would protect shipping, and in the event of an emergency, rescue would be nearby. Thus, in 1559, Tristn de Luna y Arellano landed at Pensacola Bay and established a settlement.4) The Gulf of Mexico today is bordered by 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of U.S. coastline and is fed with water from 33 major rivers that flow out of the United States. The largest of these rivers is the Mississippi River. Along the south and southwest, the Gulf of Mexico is bordered by the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche,  and Yucatn. This region consists of about 1,394 miles (2,243 km) of coastline. The southeast is bordered by the northwest portion of Cuba, which includes the capital, Havana.5) An important feature of the Gulf of Mexico is the Gulf Stream, which is a warm Atlantic current that begins in the region and flows north into the Atlantic Ocean. Because it is a warm current, sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are normally also warm, which feeds Atlantic hurricanes and helps in giving them strength. Climate change thats warming waters further is also making them larger, as in increased intensity and amount of water. Hurricanes are common along the Gulf Coast, such as Katrina in 2005, Ike in 2008, Harvey in 2016, and Michael in 2018.  6) The Gulf of Mexico features a wide continental shelf, specifically around Florida and the Yucatn Peninsula. Because this continental shelf is easily accessible, the Gulf of Mexico is exploited for oil with offshore oil drilling rigs centered in the Bay of Campeche and the western Gulf region. Eighteen percent of the countrys oil comes from offshore wells in the Gulf. There are 4,000 drilling platforms there.  Natural gas is also extracted.7) Fisheries are also extremely productive in the Gulf of Mexico, and many Gulf Coast states have economies centered on fishing in the area. In the United States, the Gulf of Mexico has four of the countrys largest fishing ports, while in Mexico the region has eight of the top 20 largest. Shrimp and oysters are among the largest fish products that come from the Gulf.8) Recreation and tourism are also a significant part of the economy of the lands surrounding the Gulf of Mexico. Recreational fishing is popular, as are water sports and tourism along the coastal regions.9) The Gulf of Mexico is a highly biodiverse area and features many coastal wetlands and mangrove forests. The wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico cover around 5 million acres (2.02 million hectares). Seabirds, fish, and reptiles are abundant, as well as bottlenose dolphins, a large population of sperm whales, and sea turtles.10) In the United States the population of the coastal regions surrounding the Gulf of Mexico is estimated to number more than 60 million people by 2025, as states such as Texas (the second most populous state) and Florida (the third most populous state) are growing quickly. 11)  The Gulf of Mexico was the site of a large  oil spill  that occurred on April 22, 2010, when an oil drilling platform, the Deepwater Horizon, suffered an explosion and sank into the Gulf about 50 miles (80 km) from Louisiana. Eleven people died in the explosion and an estimated 5,000 barrels of oil per day leaked into the Gulf of Mexico from the 18,000-foot (5,486 m) well on the platform. Cleanup crews attempted to burn the oil off of the water, gather the oil and move it, and block it from hitting the coast. Cleanup  and fines cost BP $65 billion. SourcesFausset, Richard. (April 23, 2010). Flaming Oil Rig Sinks in Gulf of Mexico. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/23/nation/la-na-oil-rig-20100423Robertson, Campbell and Leslie Kaufman. (April 28, 2010). Size of Spill in Gulf of Mexico is Larger than Thought. New York Times. Retrieved from: nytimes.com/2010/04/29/us/29spill.htmlU.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (February 26, 2010). General Facts about the Gulf of Mexico: GMPO: US EPA. Retrieved from: epa.gov/gmpo/about/facts.html#resources.

Learning a Lesson from 50 Tips on How to Write Good

Learning a Lesson from 50 Tips on How to Write Good Learning a Lesson from â€Å"50 Tips on How to Write Good† Learning a Lesson from â€Å"50 Tips on How to Write Good† By Mark Nichol Last week, I wrote a post I didn’t write. In the introductory paragraph, I clearly stated that it was a mash-up of two similar and, to many people, familiar packages of pronouncements that illustrate the writing errors (or are they?) they are intended to highlight. For what I thought were obvious reasons, I didn’t state outright that this list is a parody of writing rules, though I did offer a hint with a reference to â€Å"wit and wisdom,† which I considered a tip-off that the article is not to be taken at face value. Thus, I was flabbergasted to receive a flurry of emails castigating me for 1) using the phrase â€Å"write good† in place of â€Å"write well† in the headline (which, like the content, I borrowed from the original writers) and 2) writing an egregiously error-filled post. At first, I was inclined in this follow-up post to write, â€Å"Don’t feel bad if you were hornswoggled.† I recalled the schoolroom handout listing seemingly random and inane tasks students are instructed to perform one by one after reading through the entire page first the last item of which reads something like â€Å"Do nothing on this list except write your name on this paper and put your pencil down.† If you experienced this exercise, do you recall how you giggled while you sat there after writing your name and putting your pencil down, smugly watching your classmates pat their heads while rubbing their stomachs, then hoot like an owl three times, and follow whatever other goofy instructions preceded the injunction to ignore all preceding items? Or perhaps, like me, you didn’t read the last item very carefully. But then, when I reread the scolding responses to â€Å"50 Tips on How to Write Good† (which, in case you didn’t notice, has 52 items, plus a postscript that counts as number 53), I was reminded that many people don’t read very carefully. And there’s more to the list than meets the eye. Some items simply illustrate, through deliberate error, the peril of ignoring the admonition within. Others, like â€Å"Avoid alliteration. Always.† and â€Å"Employ the vernacular,† point out the fallacies within: Alliteration is a valid stylistic device (and one you may notice I enthusiastically embrace), and sesquipedalian sentences arrest one’s ocular organs just use these strategies sparingly. Months ago, I wrote a post in which I jokingly titled a section â€Å"Write Good.† When several readers commented on the poor grammar, Daniel, the site’s webmaster, and I agreed that the deliberate error was distracting, and he changed it to â€Å"Write Well.† But when I decided to disseminate last week’s humorous lesson on writing, I assumed that even if site visitors were initially taken aback by the sight of â€Å"Write Good† in the headline, they would, after reading the list, understand why I had erred in my word choice. For many readers, obviously, that didn’t happen, and for them, â€Å"50 Tips on How to Write Good† was a washout. But what was the alternative? â€Å"50 Funny, Fallacious Tips on How to Write Good (You Know I Meant ‘Well’)† is a thudding spoiler. The lesson for me is to write what comes naturally but to realize that, although I have a role in, and some responsibility for, how my writing is received, it is ultimately the individual reader who determines the success or failure of that writing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About NumbersWhat is the Difference Between Metaphor and Simile?Sit vs. Set