The Sea of Cortez is a partially enclosed sea that lies between the Baja California peninula and the Mainland of Mexico. In 1540 the Spanish explorer Francisco de Ulloa named it El Mar de Cortes (the Sea of Cortez) after his leader, Hernan Cortez. However, the official name is El Golfo de California (the Gulf of California). The Baja peninsula is the second longest isolated peninsula in the world, only the Malay peninsula is longer. The peninsula extends over 1,070 km (about 700 miles) and varies in width from about 100 to 200 km.
Because the coastal areas on both sides of the sea are mostly arid with few resources for development, the area surrounding the Gulf has been relatively unspoiled by human activities. The islands within the Gulf are probably one of the most pristine archipelagoes left on earth. They are consequently of enormous biological and ecological value, with the Sea and its islands considered a great natural laboratory for the investigation of speciation and island biogeography. (Case and Cody, 1983).
Information from MEER research projects.
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