NATURAL

BAY
BAY
A bay is a
recessed, coastal
body of water that
directly connects to
a larger main body
of water, such as
an ocean, a lake, or
another bay.
 A bay and a gulf are almost similar
except that a bay is smaller than a gulf. A bay
connects to a larger water body such as an
ocean or a lake. It is partly surrounded or
demarcated by land and has a wide mouth
which accesses the water body.
Bays can be formed in various ways.
Large bays were created as a result of plate
tectonics. As Pangaea super-continent broke
along the indented fault line, the continents
moved apart leading to the formation of the
largest bays in the world. The largest bay in the
world is the Bay of Bengal. Glacial and river
erosion are also responsible for the formation of
a bay.
Bay of Bengal
 A bay is a recessed,
coastal body of water that
directly connects to a
larger main body of water,
such as an ocean, a lake,
or another bay. A large bay
is usually called a gulf, sea,
sound, or bight. A cove is a
type of smaller bay with a
circular inlet and narrow
entrance.A fjord is a
particularly steep bay
shaped by glacial activity.
 The land surrounding a bay
often reduces the strength of winds
and blocks waves. Bays may have as
wide a variety of shoreline
characteristics as other shorelines. In
some cases, bays have beaches,
which "are usually characterized by a
steep upper foreshore with a broad,
flat fronting terrace".
Bays were significant in the
history of human settlement because
they provided safe places for fishing.
Later they were important in the
development of sea trade as the safe
anchorage they provide encouraged
their selection as ports.
 The United Nations
Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS) defines a bay as a
well-marked indentation whose
penetration is in such proportion to
the width of its mouth as to
contain land-locked waters and
constitute more than a mere
curvature of the coast.
An indentation shall not,
however, be regarded as a bay
unless its area is as large as, or
larger than, that of the semi-circle
whose diameter is a line drawn
across the mouth of that
indentation.
COASTAL LANDFORMS
A bay, gulf, cove, and fjord are coastal
landforms with some similarity and some distinct
features that distinguish them from each other. These
landforms are created through complex geological
processes including plate tectonics and coastal
erosion.
All the four landforms are formed near water
bodies such as oceans and sometimes lakes. They
differ in their geological geographical processes that
lead to their formation. The coastal landforms are
common in different places around the world and
are often important tourist and commercial sites.
GULF
A gulf is a large bay. It is the portion of the sea
that penetrates into land or a deep inlet to the sea
that is partly surrounded by land. Just like a bay, gulfs
are formed as a result of plate tectonics.
As the Pangaea super-continent broke along
the curved fault line, continents separated leading to
the formation of large bays known as gulfs. The Gulf of
Mexico formed about 300 years ago through plate
tectonics. It originated in Lake Triassic as a result of
rifting in the Pangaea. Gulfs are important for
commerce and tourism while agricultural activities
may be practiced nearby.
Gulf of Mexico
COVE
A cove is a small bay or a coastal inlet. It
has a narrow and restricted entrance and is often
circular or oval in shape. A cove is often located
within a large bay. The term cove can also be
used to refer to a sheltered bay.
Coves are created through a process of
differential erosion that takes place when softer
rocks are eroded faster than the harder rocks
surrounding them. The rocks are eroded to form
circular or oval bays with narrow inlets. Coves are
different from bays and gulfs in that the latter two
have larger or broader entrances.
Lulworth

Stairholes
FJORD
The fjord is a Norwegian word which translates
to a “long narrow body or water.” Fjords are long
narrow inlets characterized by steep sides or cliff. They
are formed by the glacial process when glacier
washes away the bedrock as it moves down.
Through ice segregation, the glacier cuts a U-
shaped valley on the surrounding bedrock. Some of
the fjords such as Sognefjord in Norway are deeper
than the adjacent seas and may be as deep as 4,264
feet. Other notable fjords around the world include
Fjærlandsfjord, Hardanger Fjord, and Hornindalsvatnet.
Fjærlandsfjord
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