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How is the Gulf of Mexico connected to the Caribbean Sea?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
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 (also referred to as the Gulf of America) is connected to the Caribbean Sea by the Yucatán Channel.1

This strait, which is approximately 100 miles (160 km) wide, runs between the Yucatán Peninsula and the island of Cuba. The channel serves as a critical hydrological link, allowing water from the Caribbean to enter the gulf. The floor of this passage forms a submarine ridge, or sill, located about 1 mile (1.6 km) beneath the surface. Once this water enters the gulf, it contributes to the formation of the Gulf Stream, which eventually flows out of the gulf in a clockwise direction through the Straits of Florida.12