Hudson Bay - map, photo. Hudson Bay coast
Hudson bay
One of the areas of the Arctic Ocean is Hudson Bay. It connects to the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Arctic Basin to the north. The surface of this reservoir is covered with ice for more than 6 months a year..
The Europeans discovered the bay in stages. The passage to the Hudson Bay was first discovered by the Italian Sebastian Cabot in 1506. Today, the Hudson Bay is considered the inland sea of Canada. It is surrounded on all sides by the Canadian provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Nunavut. This bay is second only to the Bay of Bengal in size. The area of Hudson Bay is approximately 1230 square meters. km. Its length is 1370 km, and its width is 1050 km. The reservoir is considered shallow, since the average depth reaches 100 m, and the maximum is 258 m.
Geographic features
The Bay is separated from the Baffin Sea by the island of Baffin's Land. The Hudson Strait joins the reservoir with the Labrador Sea. Fox Bay connects it to the Arctic Ocean. All straits connecting the oceans with the gulf are navigable for only three months. The rest of the time they are full of drifting ice. Navigation is hampered by frequent storms and fogs.
The water has low salinity, and therefore freezes very quickly. Ice forms in the bay, which drift along with ice floes brought from the Arctic Ocean and the Hudson Strait. The bay covers a large area, but its depth is shallow. Its banks are low and meandering. Coastal cliffs are located only in the northwest of the Labrador Peninsula. The Hudson Bay map shows that there are many peninsulas, small bays and islands in the water area. In the eastern part there are numerous uninhabited islets.
Climate in the Bay Area
In the winter months, the air temperature over Hudson Bay reaches -40 degrees, and in some places drops to -50 degrees. The arctic tundra occupies its northern coast. To the south is the taiga with coniferous trees. The west is covered with swamps, and in the east there is a ridge of cliffs. Low temperatures are constantly observed in the bay area. The average air temperature on the coast is -5 degrees.
The main port of the bay is Churchill. In Canada, it is the only deep-water port in the subarctic zone. The area is home to many polar bears. In the fall, bears move closer to the bay to hunt seals. The Hudson Bay coastline is not popular with people. Near the bay there are villages that originated in the 17th century. The population of the city of Churchill is only 900 people. The village of Puvirnituk is home to about 1,718 people..