Spafarief Bay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Spafarief Bay
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 Spafarief Bay
Location in Alaska
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
Spafarief Bay is a large bay located in Alaska, a state in the United States. It is part of the Kotzebue Sound, which opens into the Chukchi Sea. This sea is a part of the huge Arctic Ocean. The bay stretches about 15 miles (24 kilometers) across. At its southern end, you can find a calm lagoon.
This bay is found on the northern coast of the Seward Peninsula. It is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of a small mining town called Candle. The area around it is known as the Kotzebue-Kobuk Low.
How Spafarief Bay Got Its Name
Spafarief Bay was named a long time ago, in 1816. It was named by Lieutenant Otto von Kotzebue. He was an explorer and officer in the Imperial Russian Navy. He named the bay after a Russian Major General named Leontiy Spafaryev (1765–1847).
Leontiy Spafaryev was an important person in Russia. He was the Director of the Russian Lighthouse Administration. This means he was in charge of all the lighthouses that helped ships navigate safely. He was also a cartographer, which is someone who makes maps. He worked for the Russian Admiralty, which was the main office for the Russian navy.
The local Inuit people, who have lived in this area for a very long time, had their own name for this bay. However, that name has not been recorded or shared widely.
