Gulf of Venice

Gulf of Venice
Gulf of Venice highlighted in red within the Adriatic Sea
Gulf of Venice
Location	Europe
Coordinates	45°19′N13°00′E
Basincountries	Italy,Slovenia,Croatia
Average depth	38 m (125 ft)
Settlements	List Venice Trieste Pula Adria

For the body of water historically known as the Gulf of Venice in Italian and English, seeAdriatic Sea.

TheGulf of Veniceis an informally recognizedgulfof theAdriatic Sea.It lies at the extreme north end of the Adriatic, limited on the southwest by the easternmost point of thePoDeltainItalyand on the southeast by the southernmost point of theIstrian PeninsulainCroatia.It is bordered by the coastlines of northeastern Italy and southwestern Croatia andSlovenia.

Geography

The gulf is not formally recognized by theInternational Hydrographic Organization.Under its usual informal definition, it is bound on the south by the line betweenMaestra Point,the easternmost point of the Po Delta inNorthern Italy,andCape Kamenjak,the southernmost point of the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia. It is bound on all other sides by the northern shore of the Adriatic. As such, it is about 120 kilometers (75 mi) wide and has an average depth of 38 meters (125 ft). An area at the northeastern end of the gulf is sometimes distinguished as theGulf of Trieste,informally defined as the part of the Adriatic northeast of a line between the southernmost point of Punta Tagliamento in Italy and the westernmost point of Savudrija or Punta Salvore in Croatia, an area of about 550 square kilometers (210 sq mi).

TheTagliamento,Piave,Adige,Isonzo,Dragonja,andBrenta Riversflow into the Gulf of Venice. The major cities along its coast areVenice,Trieste,Koper,Chioggia,andPula.An important tourist destination in the area is the island ofAlbarella.

History

Main article:Adriatic Sea

In antiquity the gulf was southern terminus ofAmber Road.The importance of theRepublic of Veniceduring theHigh Middle Ages,Renaissance,andEarly Modern Italygave the name of theGulf of Veniceto the entire Adriatic Sea. The term was limited to the area around Venice as the Latin name for the sea became more common in English and among other European geographers.

See also

• Gulf of Trieste
• Venetian Lagoon

References

Bibliography

• Limits of Oceans and Seas(PDF)(3 ed.),International Hydrographic Organization,1953, archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2011-10-08.