Natural harbours

A harbour is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. Sometimes, these harbours can be natural, and some of these which are of great interest to travellers.

Understand

A natural harbour is a landform where a section of a body of water is protected and deep enough to allow anchorage and many such harbours are rias. Natural harbours have long been of great strategic naval and economic importance, and many great cities of the world are based near a natural harbour. Having a protected harbour also reduces and eliminates the need for breakwaters as it will result in calmer waves inside the harbour.

Prepare

Most natural harbours are usually free to access and no special permits are required. However, some harbours may need permits to access and are not open to the public. Before going, check if any permit is needed to go to the harbour you are intending to go to.

Destinations

American Samoa

• 1 Pago Pago Harbor.  

England

• Poole harbour. The second biggest natural harbour in the world. This harbour is extremely shallow however, so boats have to navigate through dredged paths in the sea bed.

Australia

• 2 Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson). The world's largest natural harbour, it is home to some of the icons of Sydney, plus a fully urban national park. (updated Sep 2021)
• 3 Franklin Harbor (Eyre Peninsula, South Australia). A natural harbour where many divers come for its sea dragons and marine life. (updated Mar 2022)

Canada

• 4 Halifax Harbour. Founded as a British military outpost, it's easily defended and featuring the world's second largest natural harbour. (updated Sep 2021)
• 5 Hamilton Harbour (Burlington Bay). This harbour lies on the western tip of Lake Ontario, bounded on the northwest by the City of Burlington, on the south by the City of Hamilton, and on the east by Hamilton and Burlington Beaches. It's also home to the Randle Reef as well. (updated Sep 2021)

Malta

The Grand Harbour in Malta

• 6 Grand Harbour. The largest natural harbour in Malta, although it isn't very popular for its leisure. (updated Sep 2021)
• 7 Marsamxett Harbour. Located to the north of the larger Grand Harbour, this harbour is much more a leisure harbour as opposed to the Grand Harbour. (updated Sep 2021)

New Zealand

• 8 Waitematā Harbour. This harbour forms the north and east sides of the Auckland isthmus. (updated Sep 2021)

Turkey

• 9 Golden Horn. Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul's ancient harbour is the main reason why the grand city was founded in the first place.  

United States

• 10 Boston Harbor. Home to the Port of Boston, and is an important shipping facility for the New England region, it's a large harbour which constitutes to the western extremity of Massachusetts Bay. (updated Sep 2021)
• 11 Pearl Harbor. A lagoon harbor which was the site of the Japanese bombing during the Pacific War. During the 19th century, it was more of a whaling point, although it is now a large shipping port and a national wildlife refuge. (updated Sep 2021)

See also

• Mountain ranges