Albemarle Sound

Large inlet of the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of North Carolina; length 88 km/55 mi; width 8–24 km/5–15 mi. It is crossed by the Intracoastal Waterway and is joined by the estuaries of the Chowan, Perquimans, Little, Pasquotank, and North rivers to the north and the Roanoke, Scuppernong, and Alligator rivers to the south. The sound is separated from the ocean by Bodie Island. In an area of pine and hardwood forests, marshes, and swampland, the sound is bordered by several wildlife refuges. Elizabeth City, on the Pasquotank, is the sound's chief port.

Edenton, on the northwest shore, is one of the oldest cities in North Carolina, and Roanoke Island, at the southeast entrance, is the site of the first European settlement in the state; permanent settlement here began in the late 17th century. Local towns attract tourists because of their restored 18th-century buildings and colonial history.