Bay of Biscay
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The Bay of Biscay (Spanish: Golfo de Vizcaya and Mar Cantábrico; French: Golfe de Gascogne; Basque: Bizkaiko Golkoa; Occitan: Golf de Gasconha) is a gulf of the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Punta de Estaca de Bares, and is named for the Spanish province of Biscay.
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[edit] Geography
Parts of the continental shelf extend far into the bay, resulting in fairly shallow water in many areas which creates the rough seas the region is known for, the Bay of Biscay is home to some of the Atlantic Ocean's fiercest weather. Large storms occur in the bay, especially during the winter months. Up until recent years it was a regular occurrence for merchant vessels to founder in Biscay storms and many lives were lost. Improved ships and weather prediction have reduced the toll of the storms.
[edit] Rivers
The main rivers that end in the Bay of Biscay are:
- France: Loire, Charente, Garonne, Dordogne, Adour.
- Spain: named westward : Bidasoa, Urola , Nervión, Asón, Pas, Deva, Nalón, Navia, Eo, Sor.
[edit] Main cities
The main cities on the shores of the Bay of Biscay are:
- France: Brest, Nantes, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Bayonne.
- Spain: San Sebastian, Bilbao, Santander, Gijon.
[edit] History
| This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can (January 2008). |
The southern end of the gulf is also called in Spanish "Mar Cantábrico" (Cantabrian Sea), for the region of Cantabria, but this name is not generally used in English. It was named by Romans in 1st century BC as Sinus Cantabrorum (Ocean of the Cantabri).
On some medieval maps, the Bay of Biscay is marked as El Mar del los Vascos, the Basque Bay. The Bay of Biscay is the birthplace of what is possibly the world's most successful and most renowned maritime industry, the Basque and Cantabrian shipbuilders and fishermen.
This area was considered to be the final (European) destination for the Soviet Red Army (the former U.S.S.R.'s military force) during the Cold War. The location has both geopolitical as well as strategic importance. The former is representative of potential Soviet dominance of Europe, and the latter applies to the strategic importance of Soviet naval access to the Atlantic Ocean.
[edit] Wildlife
The car ferries from Portsmouth to Bilbao and from Plymouth to Santander provide one of the most convenient ways to see cetaceans in European waters, and there are often specialist trips on board.
Volunteers and employees from the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme use the bridge of the vessel on the P&O Portsmouth to Bilbao run to observe and monitor cetacean activity. Many species of whales and dolphins can be seen in this area but it is one of the few places where the beaked whales such as the Cuvier's beaked whale have been observed.
The best areas to see the larger cetaceans are those over deep water off the continental shelf particularly over the Santander Canyon and Torrelavega Canyon in the south of the Bay.
The three-day round trip also gives sightings of good numbers of several species of seabirds, particularly gannets.
The alga Colpomenia peregrina was introduced and first noticed by oyster fishermen in the Bay of Biscay in 1906.
[edit] Trivia
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- The British Yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur finished her first trip around the world here, and there is a famous song based on this.
- Biscay is also an area of the British Shipping Forecast, familiar to BBC Radio 4 listeners.
af:Golf van Biskaje
bn:বিস্কে উপসাগর
bg:Бискайски залив
cv:Бискай кӳлмекĕ
cs:Biskajský záliv
da:Biscayabugten
de:Biskaya
et:Biskaia laht
el:Βισκαϊκός κόλπος
es:Golfo de Vizcaya
eo:Biskaja Golfo
eu:Bizkaiko Golkoa
fa:خلیج بیسکای
fr:Golfe de Gascogne
fy:Golf fan Biskaje
ko:비스케이 만
is:Biskajaflói
it:Golfo di Guascogna
he:מפרץ ביסקאיה
li:Golf van Biskaje
ms:Teluk Biscay
nl:Golf van Biskaje
nds-nl:Golf van Biskaaje
ja:ビスケー湾
no:Biscayabukten
nn:Biscayabukta
oc:Golf de Gasconha
pl:Zatoka Biskajska
pt:Golfo da Biscaia
ru:Бискайский залив
sk:Biskajský záliv
sl:Biskajski zaliv
fi:Biskajanlahti
sv:Biscayabukten
th:อ่าวบิสเคย์
tr:Biskay Körfezi
uk:Біскайська затока
vec:Golfo de Bizkaia
zh:比斯開灣
