Gulf of California

The Gulf of California separates the Baja California peninsula from mainland Mexico, stretching about 1,126 kilometers long and 48 to 241 kilometers wide across roughly 160,000 square kilometers, with depths exceeding 3,000 meters shaped by the tectonic spreading slowly pulling Baja California away from the continent. The gulf is one of the most biologically diverse seas on Earth and shelters numerous endemic species, along with visiting blue whales, humpback whales, gray whales, killer whales and manta rays. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 but placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2019 because of the near extinction of the vaquita, a porpoise found only in these waters.