Chesapeake Bay

the largest inlet on the Atlantic Coast. It is 200 miles long and from 4 to 45 miles in width. It lies within the borders of Virginia and Maryland. The promontories of Capes Charles and Henry at its entrance are twelve miles apart. The bay is of great depth. It receives the waters of the James, the York, the Rappahannock, the Potomac, the Susquehanna, and many smaller streams. Newport News, Alexandria, Washington, Annapolis, and Baltimore are situated on its borders, or at the head of estuaries. The waters of the Chesapeake are famous for the finest oysters and terrapin in the world. The reedy shallows are the haunt of innumerable waterfowl, including the celebrated canvasback duck. Shooting is carried on chiefly from blinds or reed-covered boats. See Baltimore; Oyster; Potomac