Campeche, Bay of

a bay in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico, west of the Yucatan Peninsula. It extends more than300 km inland. Its breadth at the mouth is nearly 750 km. Its offshore depth reaches 3, 286 m; the depth near the eastern shore (Campeche Bank) is 34 m. The tides are predominantly diurnal and range in height from 0.6 to 1.2 m. The bay’s main ports are Campeche, Coatzacoalcos, and Veracruz.