The Back Sound is a
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons' ...
in
eastern North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
. Running on an east–west axis, the sound separates
Shackleford Banks to the south from the mainland and
Harkers Island to the north. At the sound's eastern end lies
Cape Lookout and
Core Sound
The Core Sound is a sound (geography) in eastern North Carolina located between the mainland of Carteret County and Core Banks, part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It lies between the large Pamlico Sound to the northeast and the smaller ...
, while on the west end lies the
Crystal Coast community of
Beaufort and
Bogue Sound. Barden Inlet at the eastern end, and Beaufort Inlet on the western end connect the sound to
Onslow Bay
Onslow Bay is an indentation of the North Carolina coast, between Cape Fear in the south and Cape Lookout in the north. Thirteen barrier islands form the shore of the bay. It is part of the open Atlantic Ocean and affords no protection from oc ...
. Much of the islands in the sound are protected as part of the
Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve, set aside for the protection of
Banker horses.
Bodies of water of Carteret County, North Carolina
Sounds of North Carolina
{{CarteretCountyNC-geo-stub