The Sea of Cortez is a long, narrow sea located between Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and the Mexican mainland, on the northwest side of the country.

Quick Scoop: Where It Is

  • It is also known as the Gulf of California.
  • It lies between Baja California/Baja California Sur (to the west) and the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa (to the east).
  • It is part of the Pacific Ocean, connected to it at the south end of the gulf.
  • The coastline is roughly 2,500 miles (about 4,000 km) long and the surface area is around 160,000 square km.

In simple terms: if you look at a map of Mexico, it’s the body of water that separates the Baja California peninsula from the rest of mainland Mexico.