Gulf Coast

Gulf Coast, geographic area in the extreme southern United States along the northern portion of the Gulf of Mexico. Stretching in a large, flattened U shape for more than 1,200 miles (1,900 km), it extends about 100 miles (160 km) inland and runs north-northwest along western Florida; west along southern Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana; and southwest and south along southeastern Texas. Land elevations are nowhere above 500 feet (150 metres) in the region. Precipitation is more than 60 inches (1,500 mm) in the southeastern and south-central parts and diminishes to about 20 inches (500 mm) in the lower Rio Grande valley in Texas. Cyclonic tropical storms move across the area during late summer and autumn (when they sometimes reach hurricane force) and winter; notably destructive hurricanes occurred in 1900, 1969, and 2005.

The natural vegetation in the southern tip of Florida consists of mangrove swamp forests, while marsh, broom, saw, and water grasses are typical in the coastal sections of Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana. However, in many areas the natural landscape has been altered by human activity. The region’s major crops are rice, grown in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas; sugarcane, in southern Louisiana and the Florida Everglades; and citrus fruits, in central Florida and the lower Rio Grande valley in Texas. Offshore petroleum and natural gas exploration and production are of great economic importance along the coast of Louisiana and Texas. The Gulf Coast also has reserves of sulfur, magnesium, and phosphates. Manufacturing centres are widespread, and the location of important ports at Houston and Galveston in Texas and at New Orleans has contributed to the tremendous economic growth of the hinterland. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway extends along nearly the entire Gulf Coast. Both commercial and sport fishing are widespread. Tourism is a major component of the regional economy, visitors being attracted by the excellent beaches of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas and by such cities as New Orleans.