The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and the state of Delaware. The mouth of the bay at its southern point is located betwe…
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and the state of Delaware. The mouth of the bay at its southern point is located between Cape Henry and Cape Charles. With its northern portion in Maryland and the southern part in Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay is a very important feature for the ecology and economy of those two states, as well as others surrounding within its watershed. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the bay's 64,299-square-mile drainage basin, which covers parts of six states and all of Washington, D.C.
Location: Maryland and Virginia
Etymology: Chesepiooc, Algonquian for village "at a big river"
Primary inflows: Susquehanna River mouth · east of Havre de Grace, Maryland
River sources: Deer Creek · Bush River · Gunpowder River · Back River · Patapsco River · Severn River · Patuxent River · Potomac River · Rappahannock River · York River · James River, Chester River, Choptank River, Nanticoke River, Pocomoke River
Primary outflows: Atlantic Ocean · north of Virginia Beach, Virginia
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