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Concept
Gulf of California
Summary
The Gulf of California (Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (Mar de Cortés) or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (Mar Bermejo), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. It is bordered by the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa with a coastline of approximately . Rivers that flow into the Gulf of California include the Colorado, Fuerte, Mayo, Sinaloa, Sonora, and the Yaqui. The surface of the gulf is about . Maximum depths exceed because of the complex geology, linked to plate tectonics.
The gulf is thought to be one of the most diverse seas on Earth and is home to more than 5,000 species of micro-invertebrates. Parts of the Gulf of California are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The marine expeditions of Fortún Ximénez, Hernán Cortés, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Francisco de Ulloa, Hernando de Alarcón, Captain Francisco de Lucenilla, and Sebastián Vizcaíno document its earliest record. Juan de Oñate reached the gulf overland in 1605 by following the Colorado River. In the 19th century Duflot de Mofras of France and C.H. Gilbert of the United States Fish Commission visited the area.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southern limit of the gulf as: "A line joining Piaxtla Point (latitude 23°38'N) on the west coast of the mainland of Mexico, and the southern extreme of Lower California".
The gulf is long and wide, with an area of , a mean depth of , and a volume of .
The Gulf of California includes three faunal regions:
the Northern Gulf
the Central Gulf
the Southern Gulf
One recognized transition zone is termed the Southwestern Baja California Peninsula. Transition zones exist between faunal regions, and they usually vary for each individual species. (Faunal regions are distinguishable based on the specific types of animals found there.)
Geologic evidence is widely interpreted by geologists as indicating the gulf came into being around 5.
Official source
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