BAY OF

See also:

• BISCAY (Vizcaya)
• BAY OF BISCAY (Fr. Golfe de Gascogne; Sp. Golfo de Vizcaya)

BISCAY (Fr. Golfe de Gascogne; Sp. Golfo de Vizcaya)  , an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean; bounded on the E. and N.E. by France, as far as the island of Ushant, and on the S. by Spain as far as Cape Ortegal . The Bay of Biscay is the Sinus Aquitanicus, Sinus Cantabricus or Cantaber Oceanus of the Romans; hence it is sometimes known as the Cantabrian Sea . Its modern English"name is a corrupt form of the Spanish Vizcaya . The bay forms a fairly regular curve, broken on the French sea-board only by the estuaries of the Loire, Garonne, Adour and other rivers .. The rugged Spanish coast is indented by many fjord-like inlets, especially in the west, where navigation is some-times difficult and dangerous; but its rivers are comparatively unimportant . The exposed position of the bay, and the diversity of its currents, have rendered it notorious for its storms .