View source for Bay of Campeche

{{Short description|Bight in the southern area of the Gulf of Mexico}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name               = Bay of Campeche
| native_name        = 
|native_name_lang  = 
| other_name         = {{unbulleted list|Bahía de Campeche|Campeche Sound}}
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| caption            = Bay of Campeche
| image_bathymetry   = 
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| location           = {{unbulleted list|[[Campeche]]|[[Tabasco]]|[[Veracruz]]}}
| group              = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|20|00|00|N|94|00|00|W|region:MX_type:waterbody|display =inline,title}}
| type               = 
| etymology          = 
| part_of            = {{unbulleted list|[[Campeche Bank]]|[[Campeche Knolls]]|[[Laguna de Términos]]}}
| inflow             = 
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| outflow            = 
| oceans             = [[Gulf of Mexico]]
| catchment          = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used -->
| basin_countries    = [[Mexico]]
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| date-built         = <!-- {{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD}} For man-made and other recent bodies of water -->
| engineer           = 
| date-flooded       = <!-- {{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD}} For man-made and other recent bodies of water -->
| length             = {{convert|152|nmi|mi km}}
| width              = {{convert|378|nmi|mi km}}
| area               = {{convert|41909|sqnmi|sqmi km2}}
| depth              = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used -->
| max-depth          = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used -->
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| temperature_low    = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used -->
| frozen             = 
| islands            = {{unbulleted list|Triángulo Sur<ref>[{{geonameslink|gnid=3515104|name=Triángulo%20Sur}} Triángulo Sur] in [{{geonamesabout}} Geonames.org (cc-by)]</ref>|Triángulo Oeste<ref>[{{geonameslink|gnid=3515106|name=Triángulo%20Oeste}} Triángulo Oeste] in [{{geonamesabout}} Geonames.org (cc-by)]</ref>|Triángulo Este<ref>[{{geonameslink|gnid=3515107|name=Triángulo%20Este}} Triángulo Este] in [{{geonamesabout}} Geonames.org (cc-by)]</ref>|[[Cayos Arcas]]<ref>[{{geonameslink|gnid=3532759|name=Cayos%20Arcas}} Cayos Arcas] in [{{geonamesabout}} Geonames.org (cc-by)]</ref>}}
| islands_category   = 
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| pushpin_map             = Mexico
| pushpin_label_position  = top
| pushpin_map_alt         = 
| pushpin_map_caption     = Bay of Campeche
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}}
The '''Bay of Campeche''' ({{langx|es|Bahía de Campeche}}), or '''Campeche Sound''', is a [[bight (geography)|bight]] in the southern area of the [[Gulf of Mexico]], forming the north side of the [[Isthmus of Tehuantepec]]. It is surrounded on three sides by the [[Mexico|Mexican]] [[States of Mexico|states]] of [[Campeche]], [[Tabasco]] and [[Veracruz]]. The area of the bay is {{convert|6000|sqmi|sqkm}} and maximum depth of the bay is approximately {{convert|180|ft|m}}. It was named by [[Francisco Hernández de Córdoba (discoverer of Yucatán)|Francisco Hernández de Córdoba]] and [[Antón de Alaminos]] during [[Hernández de Córdoba expedition|their expedition]] in 1517.

==Oil resources==
The [[Cantarell Field|Cantarell Complex]] of five [[oil field]]s lies beneath the Bay of Campeche. In 2003, it was the second most productive oil field in the world, then supplying about two thirds of Mexico's [[crude oil]] output, but it went into a steep decline soon thereafter.

On June 3, 1979, ''[[Ixtoc|Ixtoc I]]'', an exploratory oil well located in the bay, [[Ixtoc I oil spill|suffered a blowout]] that caused a catastrophic explosion, resulting in what has been ranked as the third largest unintentional oil spill in history.

==Climate==
During the months of June and July, the Bay of Campeche is considered one of the "hot" breeding spots for [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] [[North Atlantic tropical cyclone|hurricanes]].{{Ref|hurricanes}} 

It experiences strong winds from the north from November into February along its western edge, with the winds ultimately funneling between the mountains and out into the Pacific near Salina Cruz.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Salina Cruz Climate, Weather By Month, Average Temperature (Mexico) - Weather Spark |url=https://weatherspark.com/y/9112/Average-Weather-in-Salina-Cruz-Mexico-Year-Round#:~:text=The%20windier%20part%20of%20the,of%2018.0%20miles%20per%20hour. |access-date=2022-10-09 |website=weatherspark.com |language=en}}</ref>

On the other hand, the bay is also known for being a hurricane "graveyard", with unusually weak steering currents in the area causing hurricanes to slow down and meander, starving themselves (for example, [[Hurricane Roxanne]] in 1995). The bay is also considered the eastern border on the main migration routes for birds in the Americas.{{Ref|birds}}

==Bay of Campeche Pictorials==
{{multiple image
| align     = center 
| direction = horizontal
| width     = 300
| image_gap = 10
| header_align      = center
| header            = Depictions of Bahía de Campeche
| image1    = Bay of Campeche.jpg
| width1    = 
| alt1      = 
| caption1  = Bay of Campeche
| image2    = Malecon campechano.JPG
| width2    = 
| alt2      = 
| caption2  = Bay of Campeche
| image3    = Campeche Barcos Nov 2010.jpg
| width3    = 
| alt3      = 
| caption3  = Boats at Bay of Campeche
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Notes==
{{smalldiv|1=
#{{note|hurricanes}}{{cite web
 |last=Hauptmann 
 |first=David 
 |url=http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/nebraska/stuproj/amets00/hauptmann/location.html 
 |title=Where do hurricanes form and where do they strike? 
 |access-date=2006-03-27 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051120105935/http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/nebraska/stuproj/amets00/hauptmann/location.html 
 |archive-date=2005-11-20 
 |url-status=dead 
}}
#{{note|birds}}{{cite web
 | url = https://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/othrdata/migratio/routes.htm
 | title = Routes of Migration
 | work = Migration of Birds
 | publisher = Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
 | access-date = 2006-03-27
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060417083022/http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/othrdata/migratio/routes.htm
 | archive-date = 17 April 2006
 | url-status = dead
 }}
}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Bay of Campeche}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.fws.gov/doiddata/dwh-ar-documents/1187/DWH-AR0005539.pdf |title=General Facts about the Gulf of Mexico |website=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |publisher=GulfBase.org}}

{{Campeche}}
{{Marginal seas of the Atlantic Ocean}}
{{List of seas}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Islands|Marine life|Mexico|Oceans|Tropical cyclones}}

[[Category:Bays of Mexico|Campeche]]
[[Category:Bays of the Gulf of Mexico|Campeche]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast of Mexico]]
[[Category:Landforms of Campeche]]
[[Category:Bights (geography)]]
[[Category:Campeche City]]


{{Mexico-geo-stub}}