Spanish Bay (Nova Scotia) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spanish Bay
Spanish Bay Location in Nova Scotia Show map of Nova Scotia Spanish Bay Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Location	Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Coordinates	46°16′45″N 60°12′42″W / 46.27917°N 60.21167°W / 46.27917; -60.21167
Type	Bay
Part of	Cabot Strait
River sources	Sydney River, Balls Creek, Leitches Creek
Ocean/sea sources	Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Atlantic ocean
Basin countries	Canada
Max. width	7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)
Settlements	Cape Breton Regional Municipality From west to east: Alder Point Little Pond Florence Sydney Mines North Sydney Upper North Sydney North West Arm Leitches Creek Station Leitches Creek Balls Creek Point Edward Edwardsville Westmount Sydney River Sydney Whitney Pier South Bar Victoria Mines New Victoria

Spanish Bay is a bay in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located on the Atlantic coast of Cape Breton Island at the mouth of Sydney Harbour, which forms part of Spanish Bay. The current name for the bay, "Spanish Bay" (sometimes "Spanish Harbour", "Spaniards Bay" or "Port aux Espagnols") appears on maps of the area at least as far back as 1708.

Sailing in Spanish Bay

Description

Spanish Bay opens to the north-west directly onto the southern terminus of the Cabot Strait and so to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The bay measures approximately 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) wide at its mouth, between Alder Point on Boularderie Island to the north-west, and Low Point on Cape Breton Island to the south-east.

The bay's shores are mostly bold & rocky with numerous prominent headlands including Point Aconi, High Cape, Alder Point, Merritt Point, Bonar Head, Oxford Point, Black Point, Cranberry Point, McGillivray Point and Petries Point, although there is a 0.75 kilometres (0.47 mi) sandy beach at Florence Beach (Big Pond Beach) and a popular swimming beach at Polar Bear, just to the north of South Bar.

Communities

Communities along the shoreline of Spanish Bay include (from northwest to south to northeast):