2. Google Wonders of the World Project Gulf of Mexico By: Lucia Morales

3. GULF OF MEXICO The Gulf of Mexico is located in Mexico, North America Regions and Landscapes, Wonders of Nature

4. Interesting Facts It is the ninth largest body in the world, covering about 600,000 square miles, and is bordered by five US states in the north, five Mexican states in the west, and Cuba in the southeast. The Islands and cared Areas of the Gulf of California include 244 islands 40% of the world ’ s total species of marine mammals and 33% of cetaceans are found here The total coastline of the gulf measures about 3,540 miles from the tip of Florida to the tip of the Yucatan The Gulf Stream, which is in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, is one of the strongest ocean currents in the world

5. History In the beginning, the Gulf of Mexico was periodically flooded with seawater. The first European exploration of the Gulf of Mexico was by Amerigo Vespucci in 1497. The Gulf oil spill is recognized as the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Within days of the April 20, 2010 explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 people. By the time the well was capped on July 15, 2010, an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil had leaked into the Gulf. The Deepwater horizon oil spill was an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico Considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, estimated to be between 8% and 31% larger in volume than the earlier Ixtoc l oil spill.

6. References World wonders project: http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/worldwonders/islands-gulf- california/#tab=photos&ql=1http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/worldwonders/islands-gulf- california/#tab=photos&ql=1 Google maps: http://maps.google.com/http://maps.google.com/ 48 facts you should know about the Gulf of Mexico: http://www.treehugger.com/natural- sciences/48-facts-you-should-know-about-the-gulf-of-mexico-from-sunken-ships-to-ancient- corals.htmlhttp://www.treehugger.com/natural- sciences/48-facts-you-should-know-about-the-gulf-of-mexico-from-sunken-ships-to-ancient- corals.html Gulf oil spill: http://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spillhttp://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spill http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico http://www.scubanautsintl.org/teacher/History%20of%20the%20Gulf%20of%20Mexico.pdf

7. Thank You Hoped you enjoyed it