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This article is about the body of water. For the demographic region, see Tampa Bay Area. For the city, see Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a United States city in Hillsborough County, Florida, on the west coast of the state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County....


Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor
Harbor

A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. Harbors can be man-made or natural....
 and estuary
Estuary

An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
 along the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
 on the west central coast of Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
, comprising Old Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, and New Tampa Bay.

a Bay is Florida's largest open-water estuary, extending over 1031 square km.






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This article is about the body of water. For the demographic region, see Tampa Bay Area. For the city, see Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a United States city in Hillsborough County, Florida, on the west coast of the state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County....


Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor
Harbor

A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. Harbors can be man-made or natural....
 and estuary
Estuary

An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
 along the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
 on the west central coast of Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
, comprising Old Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, and New Tampa Bay.

Geography and Ecology

Tampa Bay is Florida's largest open-water estuary, extending over 1031 square km. and forming coastlines of Hillsborough
Hillsborough County, Florida

Hillsborough County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The 2000 population was 998,948. In 2007, the Hillsborough County Planning Commission conducted a population estimate that put the county's population at 1,204,770....
, Manatee
Manatee County, Florida

Manatee County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 264,002. The United States Census Bureau 2007 estimate for the county was 315,108 ....
 and Pinellas
Pinellas County, Florida

Pinellas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg, Florida....
 counties. The freshwater sources of the Bay are distributed among over a hundred small tributaries, rather than a single river.

Beginning the reversal of decades of unrestricted pollution, the bay was designated an estuary of national significance by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an List of United States federal agencies of the federal government of the United States charged to Regulation of chemicals and protect human health by safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land....
, for its fringe of mangrove
Mangrove

Mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in saline water coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics. The word is used in at least three senses: most broadly to refer to the habitat and entire plant assemblage or mangal, for which the terms mangrove swamp and mangrove forest are also used, to refer to all trees and...
 and its prolific mud flats: more than 200 species of fish are to be found in Tampa Bay and 25 species of birds make it their year-round home. The warm water outfalls of power plants bordering the bay draw one out of every six endangered manatee
Manatee

Manatees are large, fully aquatic marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. The name manat? comes from the Ta?no, a pre-Columbian people of the Caribbean, meaning "breast"....
s to spend the winter. Equally significant though less immediately visible is the role of the Bay's waters as nurseries for shrimp
Shrimp

Shrimp are swimming, Decapoda crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh water and seawater. Adult shrimp are Filter feeder benthic animals living close to the bottom....
 and crabs, as well as less commercial invertebrates.

Two National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service....
s are located in Tampa Bay: Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge
Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge

The Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located off shore from St. Petersburg, Florida, and only accessible by boat.....
 and the refuge on Egmont Key. Most of the smaller islands in the Bay are off-limits to the public, due to their fragile ecology and their use as nesting sites for brown pelican
Brown Pelican

The Brown Pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelican, although it is a large bird in nearly every other regard. It is 106-137 cm in length, weighs from 2.75 to 5.5 kg and has a wingspan from 1.83 to 2.5 m ....
s, heron
Heron

The herons are wading birds in the Ardeidae family. Some are called egrets or bitterns instead of herons.Within the family, all members of the genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus are referred to as bitterns, and - including the Zigzag Heron or Zigzag Bittern - are a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae....
s, egret
Egret

An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genus Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets....
s, Roseate spoonbill
Roseate Spoonbill

The Roseate Spoonbill is a wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. It is a mainly resident breeder in South America, the Caribbean, and the Gulf coast of the USA....
s, cormorant
Cormorant

The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of Genus is disputed....
s and others. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program keeps watch over the Bay's health.

Transportation

Due in large part to the Port of Tampa
Port of Tampa

The Port of Tampa is located on the western coast or Florida Suncoast of Florida, approximately 25 miles from open waters of the Gulf of Mexico....
 and the dredging of more than eighty miles of deep-water shipping channels, seaborne commerce has historically been a large part of the Tampa Bay Area’s economy. The area boasts the largest port in Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
 and the 10th largest in the nation – the Port of Tampa
Port of Tampa

The Port of Tampa is located on the western coast or Florida Suncoast of Florida, approximately 25 miles from open waters of the Gulf of Mexico....
. The port accommodates half of Florida’s cargo
Cargo

Cargo refers to goods or produce transported, generally for Commerce gain, by Cargo ship, Cargo airline, Train#Freight trains, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal freight transport long-haul cargo transport....
 in the form of bulk, break bulk, roll-on/roll-off, refrigerated and container cargo. The port also has a large ship repair and building industry, and recently expanded cruise facilities.

The Port of Manatee, with more refrigerated dockside space than any other Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
 port, is the closest of the three Tampa Bay deepwater ports to the Panama Canal
Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a man-made canal which joins the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean oceans. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, it had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South Am...
. It is also one of the state's busiest, ranking fifth among Florida's fourteen seaports in total annual cargo tonnage.

The Port of St. Petersburg is home to a U.S. Coast Guard station. The smallest of Florida’s ports, it operates as a landlord port managed by the city of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The city is known as a vacation destination for North American and European vacationers, as well as a politically important swing state in U.S....
.

Bridges that cross Tampa Bay

  • Sunshine Skyway Bridge
    Sunshine Skyway Bridge

    The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, spanning Florida's Tampa Bay, is the world's longest bridge with a cable-stayed bridge main span, with a length of 29,040 foot ....
  • Gandy Bridge
    Gandy Bridge

    The Gandy Bridge spans Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg, Florida, USA to Tampa, Florida. It is one of three bridges connecting Hillsborough County, Florida and Pinellas County, the others being the Howard Frankland Bridge and the Courtney Campbell Causeway....
  • Howard Frankland Bridge
    Howard Frankland Bridge

    The Howard Frankland Bridge carries Interstate 275 over Old Tampa Bay. It is by far the most traveled of the bay's bridges....
  • Courtney Campbell Causeway
    Courtney Campbell Causeway

    The Courtney Campbell Causeway is the northernmost bridge across Old Tampa Bay, carrying State Road 60 between Clearwater, Florida and Tampa, Florida....
  • Clearwater Bayside Bridge


See also

  • Battle of Tampa
    Battle of Tampa

    The Battle of Tampa was a minor engagement of the American Civil War fought June 30 – July 1, 1862, between the United States Navy and a Confederate States Army artillery company charged with protecting the ports of Tampa, Florida, a small but notable trade hub for the Confederacy, now facing a full-scale Union Union blockade along the...
    , an American Civil War
    American Civil War

    The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
     naval battle
    Naval battle

    A naval battle is a battle fought using ships or other waterborne vessels. Most naval battles have occurred at sea, but a few have taken place on lakes or rivers....
     in Tampa Bay.
  • St. Petersburg Pier
    St. Petersburg Pier

    The St. Petersburg Pier, simply called "The Pier" by locals, is a major tourist destination in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. Some of the activities and sights it encompasses include: fishing, boat rentals, weekly festivals, and the pier aquarium....
    , a tourist attraction that juts into the bay from downtown St. Pete
  • Bayshore Boulevard
    Bayshore Boulevard

    Bayshore Boulevard is a street in Tampa, Florida, along Hillsborough Bay, an arm of Tampa Bay....
    , street near Downtown Tampa
    Downtown Tampa

    Image:Tampa_Skyline.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Downtown Tampa looking from the Hillsborough Riverpoly 2403 537 2441 500 2488 483 2516 455 2566 439 2597 410 2649 390 2682 358 2803 315 2949 342 2956 362 3068 383 3074 406 3202 431 3204 447 3332 473 3350 484 3485 1616 2446 1587 Wachovia Center ...
     that runs along the bay, world's longest sidewalk


External links