It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz.

The Cantarell Complex of five oil fields lies beneath the Bay of Campeche.

On June 3, 1979, Ixtoc I, an exploratory oil well located in the bay, suffered a blowout that caused a catastrophic explosion, resulting in what has been ranked as the third largest unintentional oil spill in history.

During the months of June and July, the Bay of Campeche is considered one of the "hot" breeding spots for Atlantic hurricanes.

The bay is also considered the eastern border on the main migration routes for birds in the Americas.