Prince William Sound

  1. Pages with broken file links
  2. Sounds of Alaska
  3. Landforms of Valdez–Cordova Census Area, Alaska
  4. Exxon Valdez oil spill


File:Map Prince-William-Sound AK.jpg
Prince William Sound, on the south coast of Alaska.

Prince William Sound is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Other settlements on the sound, which contains numerous small islands, include Cordova and Whittier plus the Alaska native villages of Chenega and Tatitlek.

Most of the land surrounding Prince William Sound is part of the Chugach National Forest, the second largest national forest in the U.S. Prince William Sound is ringed by the steep and glaciated Chugach Mountains. The coastline is convoluted, with many islands and fjords, several of which contain tidewater glaciers. The principal barrier islands forming the sound are Montague Island, Hinchinbrook Island, and Hawkins Island.

James Cook entered Prince William Sound in 1778 and named it Sandwich Sound, after his patron the Earl of Sandwich. The editors of Cook's maps changed the name to Prince William Sound, in honor of Prince William, who would later become King William IV.[1]

A 1964 tsunami, a result of the Good Friday Earthquake, killed a number of Chugach villagers in the coastal village of Chenega, as well as destroying the town of Valdez.

In 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef after leaving Valdez, causing a large oil spill, which resulted in massive damage to the environment, including the killing of around 250,000 seabirds, nearly 3,000 sea otters, 300 harbour seals, 250 bald eagles and up to 22 killer whales.[2]

Gallery

  • PrinceWilliamSound Alaska BA.jpg

    Cove in southwestern Prince William Sound

  • Chugach1.jpg

    Overlooking Prince William Sound

  • Chugach2.jpg

    Alpine trees on Prince William Sound

  • Shoup Glacier.jpg

    Prince William Sound, looking toward Shoup Glacier

References

  1. ↑ Explorations: Bering and Cook, Alaska.net
  2. ↑ "1989: Exxon Valdez creates oil slick disaster". BBC. 1989-03-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/24/newsid_4231000/4231971.stm. Retrieved 2007-12-03.

Coordinates: 60°36′54″N 147°10′05″W / 60.615°N 147.16806°W / 60.615; -147.16806{{#coordinates:60|36|54|N|147|10|05|W|region:US_type:waterbody_scale:2000000 |primary |name= }}


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