Delaware Bay

Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay in January 2011
Map of Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay Location within Delaware
Coordinates	39°6′N 75°12′W
Type	Bay
Primary inflows	Delaware River
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	782 sq mi (2,030 km2)
Surface elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Delaware Bay Estuary
Designated	May 20, 1992
Reference no.	559

Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States, lying between the states of Delaware and New Jersey. Approximately 782 square miles (2,030 km²) in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean.

The bay is bordered inland by the states of Delaware and New Jersey, and its mouth is framed by Cape Henlopen in Delaware and Cape May in New Jersey, on the Atlantic. Delaware Bay is bordered by six counties: Sussex, Kent, and New Castle in Delaware, and Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem in New Jersey. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry crosses Delaware Bay from North Cape May, New Jersey, to Lewes, Delaware. The bay's ports are managed by the Delaware River and Bay Authority.

The shores of the bay are largely composed of salt marshes and mudflats, with only small communities inhabiting the shore of the lower bay. Several of the rivers hold protected status for their salt marsh wetlands bordering the bay, which serves as a breeding ground for many aquatic species, including horseshoe crabs. The bay is also a prime oystering ground.

Delaware Bay was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance on May 20, 1992. It was the first site classified in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.