7 Picturesque Spits Around the World
Time for some Cartography! The study of maps would have introduced you to the terrain of the spits- a narrow point of land extending into a body of water. Its a mass of land whose end is attached to the mainland and the other is out in open water. A spit usually forms when waves meet the beach at an oblique angle, moving sediment down the beach and into the open waters where it is deposited in a narrow strip. As a spit grows, it might become stable and fertile and even support habitation. Nature expresses itself in different manifestations, occurrences and reflections. There is definitely more to nature than just the beaches, mountains and trails that usually excite the travelers imagination.
We present you with atleast 7 spits around the world that shall strike you as spectacular and enticing.
1. Farewell Spit, New Zealand
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Located at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand, the Farewell Spit runs eastwards from Cape Farewell, the island's northernmost point. Farewell spit is the longest sandspit in New Zealand that stretches for about 26 km above sea level and another 6 km underwater. This spit looks spectacular as it is made from fine golden sand and if you have an aerial view, the spit is large enough to have its own sand dunes.
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2. Dungeness Spit, Washington, USA
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Jutting out from the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula in northeastern Clallam, near Washington D.C, this spit encloses a body of water called Dungeness Bay. It is the longest natural sand spit in the United States. A place for adventurous tourism, here the visitors are allowed to hike all the way to the tip, where the lighthouse has been keeping guard since 1857. Check out these beaches near Washington DC.
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3. Homer Spit, Alaska
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Located in Homer, Alaska, on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula, this spit emerges out of Kachemak Bay for 7.2 km. The spit is home to the Homer Boat Harbor that serves up to 1,500 commercial and pleasure boats at its summer peak. Although the spit was earlier inhabited only by the natives who probably camped out here, a more permanent habitation grew up much later with the arrival of Americans. Today, this spit is home to several attractions such as The Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon, which is an artificial "fishing hole", campgrounds, hotels, and restaurants and the Salty Dawg Saloon, which is constructed out of several historic buildings from Homer. The Spit features the longest road into ocean waters in the entire world, taking up 10-15 minutes to cover by car. Must visit these national parks in Alaska.
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4. Arabat Spit, Azov
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
The Arabat Spit is located in the western portion of the Sea of Azov in Russias Crimea region and is the longest spit in the world. Easily visible from orbit, the spit is 69.5 miles (112 km) long and varies in width from 885 feet (270m) to just under 5 miles (8 km). It may be large but the Arabat Spit is extremely young, geologists estimate it formed less than 1,000 years ago due to the combination of accumulated sediments and falling sea levels.
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5. Curonian spit, Russia
Image Source: Nigel's Europe & beyond/flickr.com
The cartologists must have seen the maps of northern Germany and the Baltic states and would have noticed an odd land formation stretching in a delicate curve from the former East Prussia up to the Lithuanian coast. This is the Curonian Spit, a 60 mile (98 km) long sand spit formed when sediments driven inshore from the Baltic Sea collected on a residual glacial moraine. The Curonian spit assumed much of its current appearance and structure by around 3000 BCE.
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6. La Manga del Mar Menor, Spain
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
La Manga del Mar Menor is a popular vacation destination located near Cartagena in the province of Murcia in Spain. The spit is composed mainly of fine sand and runs for 15 miles (24 km) from the village of La Punta del Moj³n to Cabo de Palos). On one side of the spit lies Mar Menor, the largest sheltered saline lagoon in Europe; on the other side a complementary beach is washed by the Mediterranean Sea. In the Middle Ages, La Manga was a chain of small islands and Mar Menor was a bay of the Mediterranean. Since that time, sedimentation has caused the islands to solidify into long sand spit.
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7. Spurn Point, Britain
Image Source: Bryan Ledgard/flickr.com
Spurn Point is one of the most striking features of Britain's coastline, stretching for three and a half miles across the Humber Estuary. It is one of the most fragile and unique environments in the whole of the UK.
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Hope you liked our exploration into the unique forms of nature. Do add to the list if you have further suggestions!
