The the Bay of Biscay is part of the Atlantic Ocean northern which borders two European countries:

• the France by the west, where it extends from the Brittany to the Yrénées-Atlantiques
• the Spain by north (" Cantabric Sea "), where it skirts the coasts of the Basque Country until the Galicia

Characteristics

The Golfe covers a surface of approximately 225  000 km ² and its maximum depth reached 4  735 Mr.

Its name

Its name varies according to provinces and country:

• Spain: Golfo of Vizcaya (Castilian name = gulf of Biscay), covering the whole of the gulf, but sometimes applying only to its Basque part. He is also known by the expression Mar Cantábrico (Castilian name = sea Cantabrique) applying to his southernmost part bordering north of the Spain. The Romans had baptized it Sinus Cantabrorum (the ocean of Cantabres) to but the Carte of Peutinger is marked " Aquitanicus" sine; that is to say " Gulf of Aquitaine".
• Basque Country: Bizkaiko Golkoa (Basque name)

Its French name comes from the old province which it bordered: the Gascogne.

Rivers

It is the outlet of several rivers (north in the south)

France

• the Unpleasant
• the the Loire
• the Charente
• the the Gironde
• the Adour

Spain

• Bidassoa
• Oria
• Urola
• Nervión
• Nalón
• Not

Winds

The strong winds of the North-West which traverse it originate in the low pressures centered on the British Isles and the the North Sea, combined with the Anticyclone of the the Azores.

Activities

• the important formation of waves along the littoral supports the practice of the Surf on the stations of the Côte of Money and the Basque Côte.
• the gulf is the framework of the race the Solitaire of the Barber
• the gulf has fishing resources supporting fishing
• the intra-European Cabotage is an important activity of the gulf;

crossed by two lines of ferry enters Spain and England: Santander-Plymouth and Bilbao-Portsmouth.

• Presence of many seaside resorts, of which most famous are: La Baule, Sand-with Olonne, Royan, Arcachon, Biarritz, Saint-Sebastien

Faunas

The Gulf was the habitat during the summer of a strong population of Dolphins which seems to have given up the area at the summer 2007.

Commercial ports

France

• port commercial of Brest
• port commercial of Lorient
• Port authority of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire
• Port authority of the La Rochelle
• Port authority of commercial Bordeaux
• port of Bayonne

Spain

• port of Bilbao
• port of Santander
• port of Gijón
• port of Avilés
• port of Corogne

See too

• French Atlantic Coast

Nds-nl: Golf van Biskaaje

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