The Gulf of Mexico

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Width: 1,500 km

Area: 615,000 mi²

Max. depth: 14,383 ft

The Gulf of Mexico is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba.The shape of its basin is roughly oval.It was formed approximately 300 million years ago as a result of plate tectonics.

It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba.

In Texas and Louisiana it is often called the "Third Coast," in comparison with the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Its deepest point is 14,383 ft at the Sigsbee Deep.

It mostly consists of sedimentary rocks and debris.