Bras d'Or Lake
Encyclopedia
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
in the province of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Bras d'Or Lake is sometimes referred to as the Bras d'Or Lakes or the Bras d'Or Lakes system, however its official geographic name is Bras d'Or Lake as it is a singular entity. Canadian author and yachtsman Silver Donald Cameron
Silver Donald Cameron
"Silver" Donald Cameron is a Canadian writer of books and scripts for television and radio. He has also written columns for newspapers, including The Globe and Mail, and articles for magazines....
describes Bras d'Or Lake as "A basin ringed by indigo hills laced with marble. Islands within a sea inside an island." Two natural channels, the Great Bras d'Or Channel north of Boularderie Island
Boularderie Island
Boularderie Island is an island separating the Cabot Strait from Bras d'Or Lake on the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It takes its name from Louis-Simon le Poupet de la Boularderie, who was granted the area as a concession from the King of France.At 40 km long and...
and the Little Bras d'Or Channel to south of Boularderie Island, connect the northeastern arm of the lake to the Cabot Strait
Cabot Strait
Cabot Strait is a strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland and Cape North, Cape Breton Island. It is the widest of the three outlets for the Gulf of Saint Lawrence into the Atlantic Ocean, the others being the Strait of Belle Isle and Strait of Canso...
. St. Peters Canal
St. Peters Canal
The St. Peters Canal is a small shipping canal located in eastern Canada on Cape Breton Island. It crosses an isthmus in the village of St. Peter's, Nova Scotia which connects St. Peters Inlet of Bras d'Or Lake to the north with St...
, completed in 1869, connects the lake to the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
on the southern end of the lake.
The first Europeans to discover and subsequently settle the area were French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, naming the lake Bras d'Or meaning "arm of gold"; this likely referring to the sun's rays reflected upon its waters. The Mi'kmaq Nation named it Pitu'pok, roughly translated as "salt water".
With an area of approximately 1,099 square kilometres, the extents of Bras d'Or Lake measures roughly 100 km in length and 50 km in width. Surrounded almost entirely by high hills and low mountains, the shape of the lake is dominated by the Washabuck Peninsula in the centre-west, Boularderie Island
Boularderie Island
Boularderie Island is an island separating the Cabot Strait from Bras d'Or Lake on the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It takes its name from Louis-Simon le Poupet de la Boularderie, who was granted the area as a concession from the King of France.At 40 km long and...
in the northeast, and a large peninsula extending from the centre-east dominated by the Boisdale Hills. The Washabuck Peninsula and Boisdale Hills divide the lake into northern and southern basins, linked by the 1 km wide Barra Strait
Barra Strait
The Barra Strait is a wide channel located the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It connects the northern and southern basins of Bras d'Or Lake, an inland saltwater body that dominates the centre of Cape Breton Island....
. The maximum depth of Bras d'Or Lake of 287 metres is found in the St. Andrews Channel.
This area has been designated a Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 2011.
Subdivisions
The effect of local topographyTopography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
has resulted in the following major components of Bras d'Or Lake:
Northern Basin
- Great Bras d'Or
- Little Bras d'Or
- St. Andrews Channel
- St. Patricks Channel
- Baddeck Bay
- Nyanza Bay
- Whycocomagh Bay
Southern Basin
- Denys Basin
- St. Peters Inlet
- East Bay
- West Bay
The largest part of the lake measures approximately 25 kilometres across in the southern basin, framed by East Bay and West Bay with Denys Basin to the north and St. Peters Inlet to the south. The Barra Strait is crossed by highway and railway bridges running between the Washabuck Peninsula and the Boisdale Hills.
Rivers
The following major rivers empty into the lake (which can also be defined as a gulf):- River Denys
- Middle River
- Baddeck RiverBaddeck RiverThe Baddeck River is a minor river on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It empties into the Bras d'Or Lake several kilometres west of the village of Baddeck....
- Skye River
- Georges River
- Washabuck River
The lack of significant tidal exchange with the Atlantic, coupled with freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
outflow of rivers and innumerable streams results in lower salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
in Bras d'Or Lake than in ocean waters. They are sometimes described as brackish. The limited circulation of the lake means that the waters of Bras d'Or are potentially threatened by sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
discharge from community sewage treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
plants and individual septic tank
Septic tank
A septic tank is a key component of the septic system, a small-scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by local governments or private corporations...
s, as well as recreational boaters.
Wildlife
Bras d'Or Lake is home to an array of wildlife with successful lobsterAmerican lobster
The American lobster, Homarus americanus, is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic coast of North America, chiefly from Labrador to New Jersey. Within North America, it is also known as the northern lobster or Maine lobster. It can reach a body length of , and a mass of over , making it the...
and oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
fisheries, as well as the pursuit of other marine species. The lake's largely undeveloped shorelines have resulted in significant concentrations of Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
populations.
Boating
Cruising (maritime)
Cruising by boat is a lifestyle that involves living for extended time on a boat while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages.- History :...
). St. Peter's Lion's Club Marina in St. Peter's, Nova Scotia
St. Peter's, Nova Scotia
St. Peter's is a small incorporated village located on Cape Breton Island in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, Canada....
is the largest marina and has the most boating services to be found on the Lakes. Baddeck has two marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
s, a yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
club, and Dundee has a marina as well. The heavily indented shoreline, bold shores and numerous protected coves and harbours with snug anchorages provide for a boaters paradise.
Commercial shipping is presently limited to the Great Bras d'Or and St. Patricks Channel where a large gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
is located at Little Narrows
Little Narrows, Nova Scotia
Little Narrows is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Victoria County on Cape Breton Island.-References:*...
.
Bras d'Or Lake waters were also once used to ship coal and other commodities originating in industrial Cape Breton up to and during the Second World War, passing via barge through the St. Peters Canal to destinations on the Atlantic coast of mainland Nova Scotia, or the Northumberland Strait. Marble was quarried into the early 20th century at Marble Mountain
Marble Mountain, Nova Scotia
Marble Mountain is a Canadian rural community located in Inverness County, Nova Scotia.Situated on the southwest shore of Bras d'Or Lake on Cape Breton Island, Marble Mountain's defining feature is a large marble quarry located on a hill above the community, as well as its white sand and gravel...
on the bluffs above West Bay, with the majority of production being shipped by barge through Bras d'Or Lake for transshipment
Transshipment
Transshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination....
at Sydney.
Lakeside development
The largest communities located on Bras d'Or Lake are the villages of BaddeckBaddeck, Nova Scotia
Baddeck is a Canadian village in Victoria County, Nova Scotia.It is the county's shire town and is situated on the northern shore of Bras d'Or Lake on Cape Breton Island...
, Eskasoni, Little Bras d'Or
Little Bras d'Or, Nova Scotia
Little Bras d'Or is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality on Cape Breton Countyon Cape Breton County.-References:*...
, St. Peter's
St. Peter's, Nova Scotia
St. Peter's is a small incorporated village located on Cape Breton Island in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, Canada....
, and Whycocomagh
Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia
Whycocomagh is a small Canadian rural community in the province of Nova Scotia. The population in 2001 was 854 residents. It is located on the eastern edge of Inverness County in the central part of Cape Breton Island. The community sits on the northwestern shore of St. Patrick's Channel, an arm...
. Remaining parts of lake shorelines are largely rural with some farming, although encroaching urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
from Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) is approaching East Bay. Many cottage and recreational properties are located in rural areas, largely owned by people from Sydney, Halifax, or from out of province.
There is little significant protection for shorelines from development in the form of designated parks or conservation areas. In addition, Nova Scotia does not provide much protection of rural areas from subdivision of property.
Until modern roads were built in the 20th century, coastal freighters/steamships would make the rounds to various lakeside communities, frequently making connection with passenger trains at Iona
Iona, Nova Scotia
Iona is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Victoria County on Cape Breton Island. It is named after Iona in Scotland. Perched above the Barra Strait between the Great Bras d'Or and Piper's Cove portions of Bras d'Or Lake, Iona is the western terminus of the...
/Grand Narrows
Grand Narrows, Nova Scotia
Grand Narrows is a community in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is at 45°57′24″ N, 60°47′32″ W.-Origin of name:...
where the railway crossed the Barra Strait.
Unlike the industrial part of CBRM where coal, steel, and manufacturing industries flourished in the early 20th century, and the petroleum, manufacturing, and pulp and paper industries located in the Strait of Canso
Strait of Canso
The Strait of Canso , is a strait located in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It divides the Nova Scotia peninsula from Cape Breton Island....
region since the construction of the Canso Causeway
Canso Causeway
The Canso Causeway is a rock-fill causeway in Nova Scotia, Canada.The causeway crosses the Strait of Canso, connecting Cape Breton Island by road to the Nova Scotia peninsula...
in 1955, Bras d'Or Lake has no major industries within its watershed aside from logging and gypsum extraction.
Mi'kmaq culture
The Mi'kmaq called the Bras d'Or "Pitupaq" Ba-doo-buck (long salt dish). It was a important route used to visit coastal communities by CanoeCanoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
such as Chapel Island
Chapel Island
Chapel Island is a limestone outcrop that lies in the Leven estuary of Morecambe Bay in England, less than one mile from the shoreline at Bardsea in the area known as Ulverston Sands. It is located at . It is one of the Islands of Furness in the county of Cumbria, in the area of the historic...
, Eskasoni, wagmatcook
Wagmatcook First Nation
Wagmatcook First Nation is composed of two Mi'kmaq Indian Reserves located in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.Reserves* Wagmatcook 1* Margaree 25* Malagawatch 4 -External links:* -See also:*List of Indian Reserves in Nova Scotia...
, waycobah and Galtoneg.
General interest
From the summer of 1886, famed inventor and scientist Alexander Graham BellAlexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
made his estate and future retirement home at Beinn Bhreagh
Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia
Beinn Bhreagh, generally pronounced "ban vreeagh", is the name of the estate founded by Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, which has become an unincorporated rural community located in Victoria County, Nova Scotia, Canada...
' onMouseout='HidePop("95037")' href="/topics/Scottish_Gaelic_language">Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
), a lakeside community near the village of Baddeck. It is because of Bell's connection to this area that Beinn Bhreagh and Baddeck are routinely featured on National Geographic maps showing eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Bell and his researcher assistants also used Bras d'Or Lake in both summer and winter for the launching of massive kite
Kite
A kite is a tethered aircraft. The necessary lift that makes the kite wing fly is generated when air flows over and under the kite's wing, producing low pressure above the wing and high pressure below it. This deflection also generates horizontal drag along the direction of the wind...
s during experiments into heavier-than-air flight. Some kites required towing by large barges into the upper basin of the lake off of Bell's estate prior to launch. The result of those experiments was the February 1909 flight of the Silver Dart
AEA Silver Dart
-References:NotesBibliography* Aerial Experimental Association . Aerofiles. . Retrieved: 19 May 2005.* Green, H. Gordon. The Silver Dart: The Authentic Story of the Hon. J.A.D. McCurdy, Canada's First Pilot. Fredericton, New Brunswick: Atlantic Advocate Book, 1959.* Milberry, Larry. Aviation in...
designed under Bell's tutelage, from the frozen waters of Baddeck Bay. It was the first airplane flight in both Canada and the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
Additionally, at speeds exceeded 63 knots, , an experimental 1960s-era Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
hydrofoil
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
, reportedly the world's fastest warship ever built, was named after Bras d'Or Lake in honour of Bell's work there developing hydrofoils on the lake's waters.
In 2003, National Geographic Traveler
National Geographic Traveler
National Geographic Traveler is a magazine published by the National Geographic Society in the United States. It was launched in 1984. Local-language editions of National Geographic Traveler are published in Armenia, Belgium/the Netherlands, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Latin America,...
rated Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
its second-ranked worldwide destination for sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is tourism attempting to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people. The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development brings a positive experience for local people, tourism companies and the...
, citing Bras d'Or Lake as having a major influence on this designation. Cape Breton Island tied for second place with New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
's Torres del Paine, with the top-ranked location being the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
fjords.
"The Bras d’Or Lakes are my favorite landscape on planet Earth. Nestled into the rolling hills of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, their pristine tidal waters reflect centuries of Scottish culture, music, and friendly people."
Gilbert M. Grosvenor, Chairman of the Board, National Geographic Society
Via Rail Canada's weekly Halifax–Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
tourist passenger train, the Bras d'Or was named in honour of the spectacular scenery provided by Bras d'Or Lake along the eastern part of its journey.