Poole Harbour
Videos
Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley (ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being the Frome. The harbour has a long history of human settlement stretching to pre-Roman times. The harbour is extremely shallow, with one main dredged channel through the harbour, from the mouth to Holes Bay.
Aerial view of the harbour entrance, looking west-north-west. The large island just inside the entrance is Brownsea Island; to its left are Furzey Island and then Green Island.
The Poole Logboat was excavated from Poole Harbour and is over 2,000 years old. It is on display in Poole Museum.
View across the harbour looking west from Lilliput, Poole
Green Island, one of the islands within Poole Harbour
Ria
Videos
A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea.
Port Jackson, also referred to as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, or drowned river valley. The deeply indented shape of the ria reflects the dendritic pattern of drainage that existed before the rise in sea level that flooded the valley.
A satellite view of Galicia
Ria of San Vicente de la Barquera in Cantabria, Spain
Ria of Rijeka Dubrovačka in Dubrovnik, Croatia