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How is the Gulf of Mexico connected to the Atlantic Ocean?

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Map of the Gulf of Mexico showing surrounding regions of the United States, Mexico, Cuba, and the Yucatan Peninsula. The map highlights underwater features such as shelves, escarpments, canyons, and the Mexico Basin, with varying shades of blue indicating water depths. Major coastal cities like Houston, New Orleans, Tampa, and Havana are labeled, and spot depths are marked in meters.
Gulf of Mexico / Gulf of America

The Gulf of Mexico is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Straits of Florida, a passage situated between the peninsula of Florida and the island of Cuba.12

This connection serves as a critical hydrological link. The Florida Current—the initial segment of the Gulf Stream—flows eastward out of the Gulf of Mexico through these straits, which are approximately 100 miles (160 km) wide. Additionally, the Gulf of Mexico maintains a connection to the Caribbean Sea via the Yucatán Channel, located between the Yucatán Peninsula and Cuba, which facilitates the circulation of water into the gulf from the broader Atlantic system.3241