Sea of Cortez Biosphere

UNESCO-listed as the "Aquarium of the World," the Sea of Cortez between Baja California and mainland Mexico contains 695 vascular plant species, 891 fish species, and is the most important breeding and feeding ground for blue whales, fin whales, and whale sharks in the Pacific Ocean. Jacques Cousteau's famous description of the Gulf of California as the world's aquarium reflects its extraordinary vertebrate and invertebrate species density.