Gulf of Guinea

Map of the Gulf of Guinea.

The Gulf of Guinea is the part of the Atlantic southwest of Africa. The gulf is considered the geographic center of the earth because it is zero degrees longitude and latitude (where the Equator and Prime Meridian meet).

The gulf derives its name from the former names of the coasts of Africa. The south coast of West Africa, north of the Gulf of Guinea, was historically called "Upper Guinea." The west coast of Southern Africa, to the east, was historically called "Lower Guinea." The name "Guinea" is still attached to the names of three countries in Africa: Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea, as well as New Guinea in Melanesia.

Among the many rivers that drain into the Gulf of Guinea are the Niger River, the Volta, and the Congo River. The coastline on the gulf includes the Bight of Benin and the Bight of Bonny.

The Niger River and the Congo River in particular deposited organic sediments out to sea over millions of years which became crude oil. The Gulf of Guinea region, along with Angola just to the South, are expected to provide around a quarter of the United States' oil imports by 2015. This region is now regarded as one of the world's top oil and gas exploration hotspots.