Bay of Santander

Comarca
comarca_name = Santander
location_

location_map_size = 250px
province = Cantabria
capital = Santander
largest_city =
demonym = santanderino, -a
population = 262,595
area = 268.26
pop_density = 978.22
municipalities = El Astillero|Camargo|Miengo|Penagos|Piélagos|Santa Cruz de Bezana|Santander|Villaescusa|

The Bay of Santander is both a "comarca" of Cantabria and the largest estuary on the North coast of Spain, (coord|43|28|N|3|48|W|) with an extension of 22.42 km² 9km long and 5 km wide Due to the influence of Santander and its metropolitan area [Article from newspaper "El Diario Montañés" [http://www.eldiariomontanes.es/prensa/20070129/cantabria/area-bahia-estara-integrada_20070129.html "El área de la bahía estará integrada por nueve ayuntamientos según la Universidad de Cantabria"] ] , nearly half of the population of the region is gathered around it [Article from newspaper "El Diario Montañés" [http://www.eldiariomontanes.es/prensa/20070129/cantabria/ciento-poblacion_20070129.html "El 50 por ciento de la población"] ] , which makes the anthropic pressure on this area of water quite notable.

The entrance to the Bay is lined by the Sardinero beaches, where the Isle of Mouro with its lighthouse can be found. The access to its interior is through a narrow channel of water between the Magdalena Peninsula, near to whom are the Isle of the Tower and Horadada Island; and the sandbanks of the El Puntal, a long series of beaches and dunes that protect the tranquil inner waters of the Bay.

The morphology of the bay has suffered important changes in the last centuries. It is estimated that more than 50% of its original extension has been filled up, drying up a large amount of marsh area, to be used as grasslands, to expand the Port of Santander, and to create new industrial and residential areas. At the moment work is going on to try and recover the seaside ecosystem in some areas of high ecological value.

Rivers and rias

Several river courses flow into the Bay of Santander. The most
important of them is the Solía in the South;
there is also the Ria of San Salvador whose water empties
in the center of the Bay via the Ria of Astillero; in its
East margin flow the rias of Carmen and

Raos; to the West is the ria de Cubas,
which is the mouth of the Miera River.

Geology

The Santander Bay is formed by a diapir generated during the alpinotype orogeny of the Tertiary period. Its materials are composed of clays and salts (specially Keuper's gypsums) that ascended taking advantage of the faults. This movement generated an increase of the fracturing and an important dragging of rocks from the outer layers. The weakness zone generated by the Keuper's clays made easier its erosion compared with other sandstone or limestone areas, which involved the advance of the sea and the formation of the bay.

Flora and fauna

*Common Tern ("Sterna hirundo")

References

External links

* [http://www.gobcantabria.es/webcam/webcam.jsp?webcam=cam1_bahia Live webcam of Santander Bay]
* [http://www.webcamsantander.com High resolution live camera of the Bay]
* [http://www.rutasporcantabria.com/fotos.htm Photos of Santander and Cantabria, including Santander's bay]
*es icon [http://ropdigital.ciccp.es/pdf/publico/1977/1977_octubre_3150_04.pdf Report about the refill process of the Bay of Santander]