Northumberland Strait
Overview
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Gulf of Saint Lawrence
The Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean...
in eastern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The strait is formed by Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
and the gulf's eastern, southern and western shores.
The western boundary of the strait is delineated by a line running between North Cape, Prince Edward Island
North Cape, Prince Edward Island
North Cape is a cape at the northern-most extremity of Prince Edward Island, Canada.It is the dividing point for delineating the western limits of the Northumberland Strait. An extensive reef made up of sedimentary rock extends into the Gulf of St. Lawrence from its low sandstone cliffs...
and Point Escuminac, New Brunswick
Point Escuminac, New Brunswick
Point Escuminac is a cape located in eastern New Brunswick, Canada. Its geographic coordinates are 47º04'N, 64º48'W.It is the dividing point for delineating the western limits of the Northumberland Strait. It is located near the unincorporated fishing community of Escuminac, at the mouth of...
while the eastern boundary is delineated by a line running between East Point, Prince Edward Island
East Point, Prince Edward Island
East Point is a cape and an unincorporated community located at the eastern-most extremity of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Its geographic coordinates are 46º27'N, 61º58'W....
and Inverness, Nova Scotia
Inverness, Nova Scotia
Inverness is a Canadian rural community in Inverness County, Nova Scotia. In 2001 its population was 2,496.Located on the west coast of Cape Breton Island fronting the Gulf of St...
.
The strait's shallow depths lend to warm water temperatures in summer months, with some areas reaching 25 °C
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
, or 77 °F
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
.
