Italy-sized chunk of Gulf of Mexico to be auctioned off by the US for oil drilling

The Gulf of Mexico is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southwest and south by the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo; and on …
The Gulf of Mexico is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southwest and south by the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo; and on the southeast by Cuba. The Southern U.S. states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, which border the gulf on the north, are often referred to as the "Third Coast" of the United States.
  • Location: American Mediterranean Sea
  • River sources: Rio Grande, Mississippi River, Mobile River, Panuco River, Jamapa River, Pascagoula River, Tecolutla River, Usumacinta River, Apalachicola river
  • Ocean/sea sources: Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea
  • Max. width: 1,500 km (932.06 mi)
  • Surface area: 1,550,000 km² (600,000 sq mi)
  • Average depth: 1,615 metres (5,299 ft)
  • Max. depth: 3,750 to 4,384 metres (12,303 to 14,383 ft)
Data from: en.wikipedia.org