Spanish Bay (Nova Scotia)

Spanish Bay
Spanish Bay Spanish Bay in Nova Scotia Show map of Nova Scotia Spanish Bay Spanish Bay (Canada) Show map of Canada
Location	Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Coordinates	46°16′45″N60°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
References	Geographical Names of Canada - Spanish Bay
Location
Spanish Bay

Spanish Bay ^[1] 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. ^[2] 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. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

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) ^[6] 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):

Cape Breton County

• Point Aconi
• 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

See also

• List of communities in Nova Scotia

References

1. "Geographical Names of Canada - Spanish Bay" . Retrieved 5 June 2018.
2. "Nova Scotia Geographical Names Database entry for "Spanish Bay, County of Cape Breton" (includes map)". Government of Nova Scotia. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
3. "A new map of Nova Scotia and Cape Britain, with the adjacent parts of New England and Canada, composed from a great number of actual surveys, and other materials regulated by many new astronomical observations of the longitude as well as latitude - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection (includes map)". Thomas Jefferys, London, 1755. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
4. "A new & accurate map of the islands of Newfoundland, Cape Briton, St. John and Anticosta; together with the neighbouring countries of Nova Scotia, Canada &c. Drawn from the most approved modern maps and charts, and regulated by astronl. observatns. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection (includes map)". William Innys [et al.], London, 1747. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
5. "Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France et des decouvertes que y ont ete faites. Dressee sur plusieurs observations et sur un grand nombre de relations imprimees ou manuscrites. Par Guillaume Del'Isle, Geographe de l'Academie Royale des Sciences. A Paris - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection (includes map)". Guillaume DeLisle, Quai de l'Horloge a l'Aigle d'Or, Paris, 1708. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
6. "Big Pond Beach, Cape Breton County, (Conservation area)". Nova Scotia GeoNAMES. Government of Nova Scotia. Retrieved 3 February 2025.

Notes

• Nautical chart #4266 SYDNEY HARBOUR, published by Canadian Hydrographic Service, 28 February 2014
• Nautical chart #4367 FLINT ISLAND TO / À CAPE SMOKEY, published by Canadian Hydrographic Service, 3 April 2003