Mexico, Gulf of

Mexico, Gulf of, arm of the Atlantic Ocean, bordered on the north by the United States, on the east by Cuba, and on the south and west by Mexico. It covers an area of about 1,810,000 sq km (700,000 sq mi) and extends about 1,770 km (1,100 mi) from east to west and some 1,300 km (800 mi) from north to south. The gulf is connected with the Atlantic by the narrow Straits of Florida and with the Caribbean Sea through the Yucatán Channel. Major rivers entering the gulf include the Mississippi, Brazos, and Rio Grande. Shrimping is important in shallow coastal waters, and petroleum deposits are located in the Bay of Campeche (a southern arm of the gulf) and off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.