Bay redirects here. For other uses see Bay (disambiguation).

A headland is an area of land adjacent to water on three sides. A bay is the reverse, an area of water bordered by land on three sides. Large headlands may also be called peninsulas; long, narrow and high headlands promontories. When headlands dramatically affect the ocean currents they are often called capes. A bay generally occupies an area wider than a fjord but smaller than a sound or gulf, either of which may include one or more bays.

Geology and geography

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Headlands and bays are usually found together on the same stretch of coastline. Headlands and bays form on discordant coastlines, where bands of rock of alternating resistance run perpendicular to the coast. Bays form where weak (less resistant) rocks (such as sands and clays) are eroded, leaving bands of stronger (more resistant) rocks (such as chalk, limestone, granite) forming a headland, or peninsula. Refraction of waves occurs on headlands concentrating wave energy on them, so many other landforms, such as caves, natural archs and stacks, form on headlands. Wave refraction disperses wave energy through the bay, and along with the sheltering effect of the headlands this protects bays from storms. This effect means that the waves reaching the shore in a bay are usually constructive waves, and because of this most bays feature a beach. A bay may be only metres across, or it could be hundreds of kilometres across.

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