Which peninsula in Mexico separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California?

The Baja California Peninsula in northwestern Mexico separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. It stretches roughly 1,200 kilometres south from the United States–Mexico border, making it one of the longest peninsulas in the world.

The peninsula consists mainly of the Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur. Its western coast faces the Pacific, while its eastern coast borders the Gulf of California, also called the Sea of Cortez. The Gulf is a long, narrow sea between the peninsula and mainland Mexico.

The landscape changes dramatically from the dry, mountainous north to the warmer southern tip around Cabo San Lucas. The peninsula’s surrounding waters support whales, sea lions, sea turtles, and exceptionally diverse marine life. Gray whales migrate to breeding lagoons along the Pacific coast each winter.

The main mix-up is with Baja California Sur, which is only the southern state—not the entire peninsula. The Yucatán Peninsula is another Mexican peninsula, but it lies far to the east between the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.