Gulf Stream Map

Name: North Atlantic currents and depth contours
Creator: EarthMapped, after NOAA Ocean Service and Natural Earth
License: Public domain

The Gulf Stream is a warm, fast ocean current that starts in the Gulf of Mexico, leaves through the Strait of Florida and runs up the US East Coast before turning northeast across the Atlantic toward Europe.

Gulf Stream
Other currents
Water under 200 m deep
AB Names

Data source: NOAA Ocean Service gyre figure, traced by EarthMapped, Public domain (US government work). Download: Currents GeoJSON , Depth GeoJSON .

Last updated 11 October 2026

Route of the Gulf Stream

The thick red line is the Gulf Stream. It begins in the Gulf of Mexico, squeezes through the Strait of Florida and hugs the coast of the southeastern United States. Off North Carolina it leaves the coast and turns east, then northeast across the open Atlantic. East of Newfoundland its water is carried on toward Europe by the North Atlantic Current.

The pale band along the coasts is water less than 200 m deep, from the Natural Earth depth contours . Switch it off to see only the currents.

Part of the North Atlantic Gyre

The Gulf Stream is the western boundary current of the North Atlantic Gyre, one of the five major ocean gyres. Western boundary currents are strong, narrow and warm. On the far side of the same gyre, the Canary Current flows south along northwest Africa and is weak and broad. The North Equatorial Current closes the loop as it flows west, and the whole gyre turns clockwise because of the Coriolis effect .

Key facts

The Gulf Stream starts in the Gulf of Mexico, exits through the Strait of Florida and follows the eastern coast of the United States and Newfoundland. NOAA Ocean Service, Surface currents
It flows north along Florida, turns east off North Carolina, then heads northeast across the Atlantic. NOAA Ocean Service, How fast is the Gulf Stream?
Its average speed is about 6.4 km/h (4 mph), with a top speed near 9 km/h. Farther north it slows to about 1.6 km/h. NOAA Ocean Service, How fast is the Gulf Stream?
It carries more water than all of the world's rivers combined. NOAA Ocean Service, How fast is the Gulf Stream?
It keeps the east coast of Florida warm in winter and strongly affects the climate of the US East Coast and western Europe. NOAA Ocean Service, Surface currents
In the Norwegian Sea, warm water carried north by the Gulf Stream gives off heat, cools, sinks and starts the global ocean conveyor belt. NOAA Ocean Service, What is the global ocean conveyor belt?
The traced Gulf Stream path on this map is about 3,579 km long, from Florida to where the North Atlantic Current takes over.

Currents on this map

Every current drawn in the map frame, longest traced path first. Lengths are of the traced line, not survey values.

Currents in the western North Atlantic
Current	Type	Role in the North Atlantic Gyre	Traced length (km)
North Equatorial Current	warm	equator side	3,901
Gulf Stream	warm	western boundary	3,579
North Atlantic Current	warm	poleward side	3,101
Canary Current	cold	eastern boundary	2,566
East Greenland Current	cold	not part of the gyre	2,243
Labrador Current	cold	not part of the gyre	2,226
Norwegian Current	warm	not part of the gyre	1,692

Data source: NOAA Ocean Service gyre figure, traced by EarthMapped, Public domain (US government work). Download: Currents GeoJSON .

Data source: Natural Earth 1:10m bathymetry (from SRTM30 Plus), Public domain. Download: Depth GeoJSON .

See all major currents on the ocean currents map, compare the five loops on the ocean gyres map, or explore the sea floor below on the ocean floor map.

Print this map Ocean currents worksheet. Label the currents and the five gyres, with an answer key

Glossary

Western boundary current: The strong, narrow, warm current on the western side of a gyre, such as the Gulf Stream. The eastern side has a weak, broad current. Source
Warm current: A current that flows from the equator toward the poles, mostly along the east coasts of continents, and carries warm tropical water. Source
Cold current: A current that flows toward the equator, mostly along the west coasts of continents, and brings cool water from the polar regions. Source
Gyre: A large system of rotating ocean currents. There are five major gyres: the North and South Pacific, the North and South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean. Source
Coriolis effect: Earth's rotation turns moving water and air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. Source
Bathymetry: The study of the floors of the ocean, lakes and rivers: how deep the water is and the shape of the bottom. Source

All terms in the glossary

Gulf Stream FAQ

Where does the Gulf Stream start and end?

It starts in the Gulf of Mexico and exits through the Strait of Florida. It runs north along the US coast, turns east off North Carolina and continues northeast across the Atlantic, where the North Atlantic Current carries its water toward Europe.

How fast is the Gulf Stream?

NOAA gives an average of about 6.4 km/h (4 mph) and a top speed near 9 km/h. It slows to about 1.6 km/h farther north. Its water moves about 40 to 120 km (25 to 75 miles) a day.

Why is the Gulf Stream warm?

It carries water from the tropics toward the poles. It is the western boundary current of the North Atlantic Gyre: strong, narrow and warm, while the Canary Current on the far side of the gyre is weak, broad and cool.

How does the Gulf Stream affect Europe?

The heat it carries north is given off to the air. NOAA notes it strongly influences the climate of the US East Coast and many Western European countries.

Is the Gulf Stream part of the ocean conveyor belt?

Yes. NOAA describes the conveyor as starting in the Norwegian Sea, where warm Gulf Stream water cools, becomes denser and sinks to flow south along the bottom. See what ocean currents are.

Sources: NOAA Ocean Service, How fast is the Gulf Stream?; NOAA Ocean Service, Surface currents; NOAA Ocean Service, What is the global ocean conveyor belt?.