| Poole Harbour | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the harbour entrance, looking west-north-west. The large island just inside the entrance is Brownsea Island; to its left are Furzey Island and then Green Island. | |
  Poole Harbour Location in Dorset | |
| Location | Dorset, England |
| Coordinates | 50°41′45″N 1°59′19″W / 50.69583°N 1.98861°W |
| Surface elevation | 0 metres (0 ft) |
| Official name | Poole Harbour |
| Designated | 22 July 1999 |
| Reference no. | 1005[1] |
Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley (ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being the Frome. The harbour has a long history of human settlement stretching to pre-Roman times. The harbour is extremely shallow (average depth 48 cm [19 in]), with one main dredged channel through the harbour, from the mouth to Holes Bay.[2]
Poole Harbour has an area of approximately 36 km2 (14 sq mi).[3] It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world" (after Port Jackson, Sydney).[4]
- ^ "Poole Harbour". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ Jersey Poole Ferry website
- ^ Poole Harbour Facts Archived 26 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Poole Harbour Study Group. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ "Hotels in Cobh | Hotels Cobh | 3 Star Hotels Cork". commodorehotel.ie.