The World’s Most Beautiful Bays

Published by nobert soloria bermosa
August 3, 2008, Category: Physical Geography

Some of the world’s most important and captivating bays.

A bay is a body of water partly enclosed by land. It’s an arm of the sea. The largest bay in the world is the Bay of Bengal in India. Here are some of the most beautiful bays in the world.

Five bays are featured on this article, one each from North America and Europe and 3 from the continent of Asia.

Ha Long Bay: Vietnam

This unique-looking bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a candidate for the New 7 Wonders of the World and currently ranked number 3 on the list. It is located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. The bay has a 120 kilometer long coastline and is approximately 1,553 square kilometers in size with 1,969 islets. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. Hang Dau Go (Wooden stakes Cave) is its largest grotto.

Bay of Fundy: Canada

One of the most prolific bays in the world is the Bay of Fundy. This bay is located in Canada. The Bay of Fundy is an ocean bay stretching between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Bay of Fundy is popular for its high tidal range and the bay is contested as having the highest vertical tidal range in the world. It’s estimated that 100 billion tons of seawater flows in and out each tide cycle and watch the highest tides in the world rise at a rate between six and eight feet per hour. The bay is home to several islands, the largest of which is Grand Manan Island at the boundary with the Gulf of Maine. Several rock formations can be viewed in the area. Kayaking is one of the many activities that you can enjoy at the bay.

Phang Nga Bay: Thailand

This panoramic bay is a 400 km² bay in the Andaman Sea between the island of Phuket and the mainland of the Malay peninsula of southern Thailand. On Phang Nga Bay, limestone cliff with caves, collapsed cave systems and archeological sites can be found. The bay has 42 islands, with at least 28 species of mangrove, and sea grass beds. There are also coral reefs in the area. There are also at least 88 bird species, as well as 82 fish species, 18 reptiles, 3 amphibians, and 17 mammal species.

One of the best features of the Phang Nga Bay is the Ko Tapu, which is also known as the James Bond Island (a needle formed limestone rock in the sea). It was featured in the movie The Man with the Golden Gun. It was again later featured in the movie Tomorrow Never Dies.

King Haakon Bay: South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

King Haakon Bay is an inlet on the southern coast of the British island of South Georgia. The inlet is approximately 13 km long and 4 km wide. This inlet which is also called king Haakon Sound was named for King Haakon VII of Norway by whalers that frequented the opposite side of the island. It is best known as the landing place of Ernest Shackleton in May of 1916 as he sought help for his shipwrecked crew in the Antarctic. This site is a candidate for the New 7 Wonders of the world.