The Sea of Cortez (also known as the Gulf of California) is a body of water which separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland, it is borded by the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit.
The sea was named del Mar de Cortez in honor of Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes by Francisco de Ulloa in 1540.