Cape Cod

Cape Cod, peninsula, south-eastern Massachusetts, crossed at its base by the Cape Cod Canal. The cape is surrounded by Cape Cod Bay to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Nantucket Sound to the south, and Buzzards Bay to the south-west. The cape is deeply indented; in shape it resembles a flexed arm. It extends eastwards about 56 km (35 mi) and then northwards about 48 km (30 mi). The width varies from about 32 km (20 mi) between the towns of Sandwich and Woods Hole at the neck to a few hundred metres at the tip near the town of Provincetown. The cape is sandy, hilly, and thickly forested in spots and contains many lakes and ponds.

Cape Cod is well known as a popular summer resort and has excellent facilities for swimming, fishing, and boating. Fishing is an important industry, especially in Provincetown, which has one of the largest and safest harbours on the Atlantic's western seaboard. Cranberries are the chief crop. Other communities on Cape Cod are Barnstable, Yarmouth, Orleans, Falmouth, Bourne, and Hyannis. Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard are popular resort islands just south of the Cape Cod peninsula. The cape has a number of lighthouses, including Chatham Light at Chatham, and Cape Cod Light at Truro.

Cape Cod was named in 1602 by the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who was impressed by the abundance of cod in the surrounding waters. In 1620 the Pilgrims dropped anchor in Provincetown harbour. Cape Cod National Seashore covers much of the north-eastern part of the peninsula.