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Chesapeake Bay
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay, inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, c.200 mi (320 km) long, from 3 to 30 mi (4.8–48 km) wide, and 3,237 sq mi (8,384 sq km), separating the Delmarva Peninsula from mainland Maryland. and Virginia. The drowned estuary of the Susquehanna River, formed in an ancient meteorite impact zone, the bay is fed by rivers including the Potomac, Rappahannock, Pocomoke, and James. It is entered from the Atlantic Ocean through a 12-mi-wide (19-km) gap between Capes Henry and Charles, Va.; the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel crosses its mouth, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge crosses the upper bay. Part of the Intracoastal Waterway, the bay is linked with the Delaware River and Bay by the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Baltimore, Md., is the largest city and main port on the bay; the Norfolk–Hampton Roads region of Virginia is a key naval complex. The bay's famous fisheries (oysters, crabs, etc.) have declined as residential and commercial development around it have increased; various projects and interstate agreements seek to reverse this trend. A 35-million-year-old impact crater, c.50 mi (85 km) wide, underlies the lower bay. The English colonist John Smith explored and charted Chesapeake Bay in 1608.
Wikipedia search results for: Chesapeake Bay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's watershed covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. More than 150 rivers and streams drain into the Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is approximately 200 miles long, from the Susquehanna River in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south. At its narrowest point between Kent County's Plum Point and the Harford County shore near Romney Creek, the Bay is 2.8 miles wide; at its widest point, just south of the mouth of...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Chesapeake Bay
Results 1 - 10  of 55
  • Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

    Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, officially the Lucius J. Kellam, Jr. Bridge-Tunnel, 17.6 mi (28.2 km) long, across the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, E Va., connecting Cape Charles with Norfolk, Va. O...

  • Chesapeake Bay retriever

    Chesapeake Bay retriever, breed of large sporting dog developed in the United States. It stands about 24 in. (61 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 65 lb (29.5 kg). Its thick, short dou...

  • Chesapeake and Delaware Canal

    Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, sea-level canal, 19 mi (31 km) long, 250 ft (76 m) wide, and 27 ft (8.2 m) deep, connecting the head of Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware River. Built in 1824–29,...

  • Massachusetts Bay

    Massachusetts Bay, inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay, with its arms (Boston, Cape Cod, and Plymouth bays), extends 65 mi (105 km) from Cape Ann on the north to Cape Cod on the south. Its co...

  • Henry, Cape

    Henry, Cape, SE Va., promontary at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, E of Norfolk. Cape Henry Memorial marks the approximate spot where the Jamestown settlers landed in 1607. In 1939 the site wa...

  • Patuxent

    Patuxent, river, c.100 mi (160 km) long, rising in central Md. and flowing SE to Chesapeake Bay. Its estuary is a deepwater anchorage, and the river has important oyster beds.

  • Tangier, island, United States

    Tangier, island, E Va., in S Chesapeake Bay. Capt. John Smith first visited the island in 1608, and in 1620 settlers arrived from Cornwall, England. Isolated from the mainland, the people of T...

  • Cockburn, Sir George

    Cockburn, Sir George, 1772–1853, British admiral. He served in the Mediterranean, and in the War of 1812 he participated in the Chesapeake Bay expeditions and in the burning of Washington. He ...

  • Powhatan Confederacy

    Powhatan Confederacy, group of Native North Americans belonging to the Algonquian branch of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). Their area embraced most o...

  • Eastern Shore

    Eastern Shore, the tidewater region along E shore of Chesapeake Bay, including all of Maryland and Virginia E of the bay. The region's economy was historically based largely on agriculture and...

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