Major Gulfs of the World

A gulf is a deep sea arm that is encircled by the land. This article takes a look at the major gulfs of the world, which include the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Gulf of Mexico, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Alaska, and Gulf of Cazones.

6. Gulf of Saint Lawrence

The Gulf of Saint Lawrence is the bay of North America’s Great inland sea through the Atlantic Ocean. It is a semi-enclosed marine and the largest firth in the world with an area of about 91,000 square miles. Labrador Peninsula border the Gulf of Saint Lawrence at the North, while the Cape Breton and Nova Scotia Peninsula border it at the south. At the east, it shares a border with Newfoundland, while at the west it borders the New Brunswick and Gaspe. The gulf has Magdalen, Anticosti, and the Prince Edward Islands. Moreover, apart from Saint Lawrence River, the gulf has other side streams like the Humber and the Natashquan Rivers. The arms of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence include; the Miramichi Bay, Bay of Islands, Chaleur Bay, St. George’s Bay, and Northumberland Strait. The gulf sheds its waters into the Atlantic Ocean through the straits of Cabot, the Belle Isle, and of the Canso.

5. Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is sometimes referred to as America’s sea. It is one of its kind; it is semi-enclosed seawater that is sited in the middle of Florida and Yucatan peninsulas at the United States’ southern shores. The Gulf shares borders with five of the fifty US states; Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. The Gulf of Mexico occupies not less than 600,000 square miles. It has a depth of about 12,000 feet in some parts like in the Sigsbee Deep. The water from the Caribbean Sea flows into the Gulf of Mexico via the Yucatan Strait, then quickly circulates in a clockwise loop current. Water then exits the Gulf via Florida Straits to the Atlantic Ocean and form the powerful water currents in the world (Gulf Stream).

4. Persian Gulf

The area covered by the Persian Gulf is about 251,000 square kilometers. The Persian Gulf is an extension of the Indian Ocean and is found in the middle of the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. The major river delta called Shatt al-Arab, which takes the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, marks the western end of the Persian Gulf. The length of the Persian Gulf has is approximately 989 kilometers. Saudi Arabia resides in most of the southern coast while Iran resides in most of the northern coast of the Persian Gulf. This body of water is also called ‘Arabian Gulf’ by specific Arab regions, or just ‘The Gulf’ though the names sometimes bring some controversy. None of the names has been recognized at the international level. The Persian Gulf, with its coastal regions, is the major source of crude oil in the world. The region has abundant natural resources; this makes the area the basis of the international tension; one of them is the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran War. The region also has plentiful fishing grounds, rich in pearl oysters, and large coral reefs. The ecology of the Persian Gulf has come under pressure due to construction and industrialization.

3. Gulf of Guinea

The northern tropical of Atlantic Ocean is called the Gulf of Guinea. It is in the middle of Cape Palmas, Liberia, west and Cape Lopez in the north part. The gulf is found at the junction of the Prime Meridian and Equator. Among the rivers that shed its waters into the gulf are the Volta and Niger rivers. The Bight of Bonny and the Bight of Benin are the regions along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. The islands located at the gulf includes Annobon, the Elobeys, Bioko, Sao Tome, and Principe, and Corisco. The largest islands in the Gulf of Guinea are found in the southwest-northeast chain that is the part of the Cameroon line of volcanoes.

2. Gulf of Alaska

The Gulf of Alaska is a water mouth of the North Pacific on the south of the coastline of Alaska, United States. The Gulf shares border with the Cape Spencer at the east, and with the Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula at the west. Its surface area is approximately 1.533 million kilometers square. The coastal region is deeply divided by fjords and other arms of the sea like Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet on any of the Kenai Peninsula. The Copper and Susitna rivers flow into the Gulf of Alaska. Oil has been found underneath Controller Bay and down the Cook Inlet. The glaciers detached the enormous icebergs, which the Alaska Current takes out into the sea. The gulf creates a remarkable storm, and deep water corals can be found in the region.

1. Gulf of Cazones

The Gulf of Cazones is a huge gulf in southern Cuba. It is positioned at the south by the Cienfuegos and Matanzas provinces, between the northeast boundary of the Jardinillos Bank on the south, and Piedras and other reefs and cays at the northern side. At the western border of the gulf, an adjunct of 30 miles forms the head of Cayo Blanco and Cayo Sigua. This extension and vertical cliffs divide the parts where the depth of the sea differs in size from 15 to 200 meters. At these parts of the division, it is reported that there are sea fans and coral colonies, coral fish and large tubular sponges. Also, at the boundary of the gulf, there are Lane snappers. The region is said to be dangerous for watercraft to cross because of windless and cross-currents. Black coral has been exhausted in the sides where the depth of waters of the gulf is little. The coral is used to make ornament jewelry. The use has increased since the 1960s, but there are current laws which are against the collection of the specimens that are at most 3.9 feet tall and 0.98 inches wide.