Gulf of California

Coordinates: 28°0′N 112°0′W / 28°N 112°W / 28; -112

"Sea of Cortez" redirects here. For the book by John Steinbeck, see The Log from the Sea of Cortez.

Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Gulf of California (highlighted)
State Party	Mexico
Type	Natural
Criteria	vii, ix, x
Reference	1182
Region**	Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription history
Inscription	2005  (29th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez or Sea of Cortés or Vermilion Sea; locally known in the Spanish language as Mar de Cortés or Mar Bermejo or Golfo de California) is a body of water 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 2500 miles (4000km). Rivers which flow into the Gulf of California include the Colorado, Fuerte, Mayo, Sinaloa, Sonora, and the Yaqui. The gulf's surface area is about 62,000 square miles (160,000 km²). The name "Gulf of California" predominates on most maps in English today. The name "Sea of Cortés" is the one preferred by most local residents.

Geology

Geologic evidence indicates that the Gulf of California came into being 5.3 million years ago as tectonic forces rifted the Baja California Peninsula off of the North American Plate. As part of this process, the East Pacific Rise propagated up the middle of the Gulf along the seabottom. The Gulf would extend as far as Indio, California, except for the tremendous delta created by the Colorado River. This delta blocks the sea from flooding the Mexicali and Imperial Valleys. Volcanism dominates the East Pacific Rise. The island of Isla Tortuga is one example of this ongoing volcanic activity.^[1]

Fishery

Giant Pacific Manta Ray

The narrow sea is home to a unique and rich ecosystem. In addition to a wide range of endemic creatures, it hosts many migratory species, such as the Humpback Whale, California Gray Whale, Killer Whale, Manta Ray and Leatherback Sea Turtle, and the world's largest animal, the Blue Whale. There are unusual resident populations of Fin Whales and Sperm Whales that do not migrate annually. This region has historically been a magnet for world class sport fishing activities, with a rich history of sporting world records.

On March 19, 2009, The History Channel's TV Show MonsterQuest investigated a report of a 60 ft. long shark in the Sea of Cortez, dubbed "The Black Demon" by the locals. They believed it to be the Megalodon, a super predator long thought to be extinct. They had numerous sightings of the creature, and on the final sighting, their divers went under water but only discovered a whale shark.

The region also has a rich history as a commercial fishery. However, the data varies wildly according to the species being studied, and the Gulf's ability to recuperate after years of over fishing remains uncertain. Moreover, changes in terrestrial ecology, such as the vast reduction in flow from the Colorado River into the Gulf, have negatively affected fisheries, particularly in the northern region.

The Gulf of California sustains a large number of marine mammals, many of which are rare, and endangered. Its more than 900 islands are important nesting sites for thousands of seabirds and its waters are a primary breeding, feeding, and nursing grounds for a myriad of migratory and resident fish species. For decades, the gulf has been a primary source of two of Mexico's leading marine resources, sardines and anchovies. Water pollution is a problem in the Gulf of California, but the more immediate concerns are overfishing and bottom trawling, which destroys eelgrass beds and shellfish.

Efforts by the Mexican government to create conservation zones have been hampered by lack of enforcement resources as well as a lack of a political consensus on this issue of conservation of the Gulf. The thousands of miles of coastline are remote and difficult to police, and the politically powerful commercial fishing industry has been slow to embrace even economically viable conservation measures, much less strict measures of conservation. Conservation of the Gulf's fisheries and coastlines is also complicated by a long history of over-capitalization in the sector, and the direct, often negative impacts that conservation measures have on the livelihoods of Mexico's coastal inhabitants. At present, the Mexican government and business interests have promoted a macro-level, tourist development vision for the Gulf, whose impacts on local ecology and society are uncertain.

Coastal communities that are highly reliant on both commercial and sport fishing include San Felipe, San Carlos, Sonora, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Loreto, Guaymas, Bahia de Kino, Puerto Penasco, Topolobampo and Mulegé. The well-developed shrimp and sardine fleets of Mazatlán, on the Mexican mainland's Pacific coast, heavily exploit the commercial fisheries of the southern Gulf.

Islands

The Gulf of California contains two large islands, the Isla Ángel de la Guarda and Tiburón Island, as well as several smaller ones, including Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida which is joined to it by a narrow isthmus.

Bathymetry

Depth soundings in the gulf have ranged from fording depth at the estuary near Yuma, Arizona to in excess of 3000 m (9840 ft) in the deepest parts.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gulf of California

• Sea of Cortez Expedition and Education Project
• Desert Museum
• CEDO Intercultural
• PANGAS project

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in Mexico Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila · Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche · Historic Fortified Town of Campeche · Archaeological Monuments Zone of Xochicalco · Pre-Hispanic City of Chichén Itzá · Archaeological Zone of Paquimé, Casas Grandes · Central University City Campus of the UNAM · Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl · Pre-Hispanic City of El Tajín · Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro · Historic Town of Guanajuato, and Adjacent Mines · Hospicio Cabañas, Guadalajara · Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California · Luis Barragán House and Studio · Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve · Historic Centres of Mexico City and Xochimilco · Historic Centre of Morelia · Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán · Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque · Historic Centre of Puebla · Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro · Rock Paintings of Sierra de San Francisco · Protected town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco · Sian Ka'an · Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacán · Historic Monuments Zone of Tlacotalpan · Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal · Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino · Historic Centre of Zacatecas