Editing Gulf Coast of the United States (section)

==Economic activities==
[[File:Gulf Coast Platforms.jpg|thumb|right|NOAA map of the 3,856 oil and gas platforms extant off the Gulf Coast in 2006]]
The Gulf Coast is a major center of economic activity. The marshlands along the Louisiana and Texas coasts provide breeding grounds and nurseries for ocean life that drive the [[Fishing industry|fishing]] and [[shrimp]]ing industries. The [[Port of South Louisiana]] ([[Metropolitan New Orleans]] in [[Laplace, Louisiana|Laplace]]) and the [[Port of Houston]] are two of the ten busiest [[port]]s in the world by cargo volume.<ref name="Busiest Ports in the World">{{cite web
|url=http://geography.about.com/cs/transportation/a/aa061603.htm
|title=Busiest Ports in the World
|access-date=2006-10-15
|last=Rosenberg
|first=Matt
|date=2003-06-14
|archive-date=February 23, 2007
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223052425/http://geography.about.com/cs/transportation/a/aa061603.htm
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> As of 2004, seven of the top ten busiest ports in the U.S. are on the Gulf Coast.<ref name="Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports in 2004">{{cite web|url= http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/portname04.htm|title= Waterborne Commerce Statistics: Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports in 2004|access-date= 2006-10-15|last= Rosenberg|first= Matt|date= June 14, 2003|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061117060215/http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/portname04.htm|archive-date= November 17, 2006}}</ref>

The discovery of [[petroleum|oil]] and [[natural gas|gas]] deposits along the coast and offshore, combined with easy access to shipping, have made the Gulf Coast the heart of the U.S. [[petrochemical industry]]. The coast contains nearly 4,000 [[oil platform]]s.

Besides the above, the region features other important industries including [[aerospace]] and [[Texas Medical Center|biomedical research]], as well as older industries such as agriculture and—especially since the development of the Gulf Coast beginning in the 1920s and the increase in wealth throughout the United States—[[tourism]].