GULF OF MEXICO

part of the western Atlantic Ocean between the south-east coast of the US, Mexico and Cuba. At its northern edge are the US Gulf States of Florida , Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana and Texas . The Gulf has wide white beaches that attract many tourists, but it is also an area of hurricanes (= violent storms with strong winds). The Gulf Stream is a current of warm water that flows from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic to north-west Europe, affecting the climate there.