Gulf of Tehuantepec

Gulf of Tehuantepec () is a large body of water on the Pacific coast of the

Isthmus of Tehuantepec The Isthmus of Tehuantepec () is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Before the opening of the Panama Canal, it was a major overland transport route known simply as the Te ...

, southeastern Mexico, at . Many (but not all)

Pacific hurricane A Pacific hurricane is a mature tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regio ...

s form in or near this body of water. A strong, gale-force wind called the

Tehuano Tehuantepecer, or Tehuano wind, is a violent mountain-gap wind that travels through the Chivela Pass in southern Mexico, across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It is most common between October and February, with a summer minimum in July. It originate ...

periodically blows out over the waters of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, inducing strong upwelling of nutrient-rich waters which support abundant sea life. The gulf is in the path of the lowest landform between Mexico and Northern Central America, allowing unhindered wind passage from the Gulf of Mexico, and the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Gulfs of Mexico

Tehuantepec Tehuantepec (, in full, Santo Domingo Tehuantepec) is a city and municipality in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region. The area was important in pre Hispanic peri ...

Landforms of Oaxaca {{Oaxaca-geo-stub