The New International Encyclopædia/Massachusetts Bay

MASSACHUSETTS BAY. A wide, triangular indentation of the eastern coast of Massachusetts, extending from Cape Ann to Plymouth Harbor, a distance of 42 miles, while its depth inland from the middle of this base line to Boston is about 22 miles (Map: Massachusetts, F 3). Its northern shore is rocky, the southern marshy and sandy, and both are irregular and indented by numerous large and small bays, forming the harbors of Gloucester, Salem, Marblehead, Lynn, and Boston. The bay contains a number of islands along the shores, especially in the entrance to Boston Harbor. The name Massachusetts Bay is sometimes made to include Cape Cod Bay.