Cape Cod Bay

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Cape Cod Bay

Cape Cod Bay is a large bay

Headlands and bays

Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment....
of the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
adjacent to the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
of Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
. It is enclosed by Cape Cod

Cape Cod

Cape Cod, often referred to as simply the Cape, is a peninsula in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States....
to the south and east, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population was 472,822. Its county seats are Plymouth, Massachusetts and Brockton, Massachusetts....
, to the west; to the north of Cape Cod Bay lie Massachusetts Bay

Massachusetts Bay

Massachusetts Bay is one of the large headlands and bays of the Atlantic Ocean that form the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U.S. state of Massachusetts....
and the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Cape Cod Bay'

Start a new discussion about 'Cape Cod Bay'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Cape Cod Bay is a large bay

Headlands and bays

Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment....
of the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

U.S. state

Massachusetts

Cape Cod

Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Bay

Massachusetts Bay is one of the large headlands and bays of the Atlantic Ocean that form the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U.S. state of Massachusetts....
and the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Gulf of Maine

The Gulf of Maine is a large Headlands and bays of the Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable Island at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast....
. Generally, currents in the Bay move in a counter-clockwise fashion, moving south from Boston

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the State capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England." Boston city proper had a 2007 est...
, to Plymouth then east and then north to Provincetown

Provincetown, Massachusetts

Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census....
. Most of Cape Cod is composed of glacially derived rocks, sands, and gravels. The last glaciation ended about 10,000 years BP. During the end of the last glaciation, Cape Cod Bay was probably a large freshwater lake with drainages across Cape Cod in places like Bass River

Bass River (Massachusetts)

File:Bass_River_Massachusetts.jpgBass River is an estuary and village in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, United States. The estuary separates the towns of Yarmouth, Massachusetts and Dennis, Massachusetts at the central, southern sections of the towns....
and Orleans Harbor. The Provincetown Spit, i.e., the land north of High Head in North Truro, was formed by marine deposits over the last 5-8,000 years. These deposits created Provincetown Harbor

Provincetown Harbor

Provincetown Harbor is a large natural harbor located off of the town of Provincetown, Massachusetts, Massachusetts. The harbor is mostly 30 to deep and stretches roughly one mile from north to south and two miles from east to west, i.e., one large, deep bowl with no Dredging necessary for boats to enter and exit....
, a large, bowl-shaped section of Cape Cod Bay.

Since 1914, Cape Cod Bay has been connected to Buzzards Bay

Buzzards Bay (bay)

Buzzards Bay is a headlands and bays of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is approximately 45 kilometers long by twelve kilometers wide....
by the Cape Cod Canal

Cape Cod Canal

The Cape Cod Canal is a man-made waterway traversing the narrow neck of land that joins Cape Cod to mainland Massachusetts.Part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the canal is roughly 17.4 miles long and connects Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south....
, which divides Cape Cod from the rest of mainland Massachusetts.

Cape Cod Bay is one of the bays adjacent to Massachusetts that give it the name Bay State. The others are Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi? , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago....
, Buzzards Bay

Buzzards Bay (bay)

Buzzards Bay is a headlands and bays of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is approximately 45 kilometers long by twelve kilometers wide....
, and Massachusetts Bay

Massachusetts Bay

Massachusetts Bay is one of the large headlands and bays of the Atlantic Ocean that form the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U.S. state of Massachusetts....
.