Bay of Campeche
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(October 2019) |
Bay of Campeche | |
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![]() Bay of Campeche | |
Location | |
Coordinates | 20°00′00″N94°00′00″W/ 20.00000°N 94.00000°W |
Part of | |
Ocean/sea sources | Gulf of Mexico |
Basincountries | Mexico |
Max. length | 152 nautical miles (175 mi; 282 km) |
Max. width | 378 nautical miles (435 mi; 700 km) |
Surface area | 41,909 square nautical miles (55,500 sq mi; 143,740 km2) |
Islands |
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TheBay of Campeche(Spanish:Bahía de Campeche), orCampeche Sound,is abightin the southern area of theGulf of Mexico,forming the north side of theIsthmus of Tehuantepec.It is surrounded on three sides by theMexicanstatesofCampeche,TabascoandVeracruz.The area of the bay is 6,000 square miles (16,000 km2) and maximum depth of the bay is approximately 180 feet (55 m). It was named byFrancisco Hernández de CórdobaandAntón de Alaminosduringtheir expeditionin 1517.
Oil resources
[edit]TheCantarell Complexof fiveoil fieldslies beneath the Bay of Campeche. In 2003, it was the second most productive oil field in the world, then supplying about two thirds of Mexico'scrude oiloutput, but it went into a steep decline soon thereafter.
On June 3, 1979,Ixtoc I,an exploratory oil well located in the bay,suffered a blowoutthat caused a catastrophic explosion, resulting in what has been ranked as the third largest unintentional oil spill in history.
Climate
[edit]During the months of June and July, the Bay of Campeche is considered one of the "hot" breeding spots forAtlantichurricanes.[1]
It experiences strong winds from the north from November into February along its western edge, with the winds ultimately funneling between the mountains and out into the Pacific near Salina Cruz.[5]
On the other hand, the bay is also known for being a hurricane "graveyard", with unusually weak steering currents in the area causing hurricanes to slow down and meander, starving themselves (for example,Hurricane Roxannein 1995). The bay is also considered the eastern border on the main migration routes for birds in the Americas.[2]
Bay of Campeche Pictorials
[edit]References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^Hauptmann, David."Where do hurricanes form and where do they strike?".Archived fromthe originalon 2005-11-20.Retrieved2006-03-27.
- ^"Routes of Migration".Migration of Birds.Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. Archived fromthe originalon 17 April 2006.Retrieved2006-03-27.
External links
[edit]Media related toBay of Campecheat Wikimedia Commons
- "General Facts about the Gulf of Mexico"(PDF).U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.GulfBase.org.