Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is a big patch of water next to North America. It's like a giant lake, only it's filled with salt water from the ocean. It's really big—​about as big as the entire continent of Europe!

There are lots of different kinds of animals that live in the Gulf of Mexico. Some of them are fish and shrimp and turtles and whales. Lots of people catch fish in the Gulf of Mexico, and sometimes they find things like oil or gas under the water.

The Gulf of Mexico is surrounded by lots of different places, like Mexico and Texas and Louisiana and Florida. Some people like to go to the Gulf of Mexico on vacation, because they can swim in the water and play on the beach.

Sometimes the Gulf of Mexico has big storms, with lots of rain and wind. These are called hurricanes, and they can be very dangerous for people and animals that live in the Gulf of Mexico.