The Gulf of Mexico is
a Great Vacation Location

The Gulf was shaped by the largest known meteor to have crashed into the Earth, along with an extinct, volcanic, bellowing deep-sea crack in the Earth's crust, and the collision of three tectonic plates.

The Gulf of Mexico welcomes one of the planet's major currents, the Loop Current (from the Northern Pacific), eddies and swings it by three nations and eleven states, and turns it completely around.

The total area of the Gulf of Mexico is approximately 615,000 miles, a third of which lies within the tropics.

The gulf's shoreline is fringed with numerous bays and smaller inlets, and a number of rivers empty into the gulf.

Of course, the most notable is the Mississippi River, but via one or another river, all the runoff from the Unites States between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians goes into the Gulf.

The gulf's coastal areas were first settled by American Indian groups, including those represented by a variety of the advanced cultures of Mexico.

The Gulf Stream, a warm Atlantic Ocean current and one of the strongest ocean currents known, originates in the gulf.

The loggerhead turtle is a threatened species frequently sited in the Gulf region. They lay their eggs on the shore, the eggs hatch during the fall months, and the baby turtles scramble their way back to the ocean.

Other noteworthy aspects of the Gulf Coast are the magnificent coral reefs that are enjoyed by scuba divers and snorkelers alike, and the historic shipwrecks that scuba divers are able to explore.