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Cintra Bay or the Gulf of Cintra is a large, half-moon shaped
bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
on the coast of
Río de Oro Río de Oro (, Spanish for "River of Gold"; , , often transliterated as ''Oued Edhahab'') is the southern geographic region of Western Sahara. It was, with Saguia el-Hamra, one of the two territories that formed the Spanish province of S ...
province,
Western Sahara Western Sahara is a territorial dispute, disputed territory in Maghreb, North-western Africa. It has a surface area of . Approximately 30% of the territory () is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is ...
. It is located about south of Dakhla. Its coastline is sparsely populated, and the environment is mostly wild and undeveloped. Originally called "St. Cyprian's Bay", it was renamed after Captain Gonçalo de Sintra, a 15th-century Portuguese
explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...
who was thought to have met his death in the bay during an unauthorized, unsuccessful slave raid.


Etymology

The area was originally called "St. Cyprian's Bay" but was renamed after Gonçalo de Sintra. The
Treaty of Angra de Cintra The Treaty of Angra de Cintra, signed by Spain and Morocco on 1 April 1958, ended the Spanish protectorate in Morocco and helped end the Ifni War. The Spanish foreign minister, Fernando María Castiella y Maíz, and his Moroccan counterpart, Ahm ...
of 1958, which led to the end of the War of Ifni, was named after Cintra Bay.


Geography

The bay occupies 29
nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude at t ...
s between Punta del Pescador and Lagouira bay, and in general is open and very shallow, the average depth of the central part being 10 meters.National Agency for Aquaculture Development of Kingdom of Morocco
Call for Expression of Interest Marine Aquaculture Development Project Ined Dakhla Oued Ed Dahab REgion
(pdf). Retrieved March 28, 2017
It is about in diameter, from the northern cape of ''Puntilla de las Raimas'', near Via Candelaria and Hassi Amatai, south to ''Puntila Negra'' or ''Punta Negra'', near Las Talaitas. The deepest point of the bay is at ''Hasi el Beied'', near the middle of Cintra Bay. Gulf waters consist of the inner ''Angra de Citra'' and outer areas of Bajo El Tortugo, Bajo Ahogado, and Bajo del Medio Golfo. The pelagic water out of Cintra Bay is called Bajo Arcila.
Cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...
s,
dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...
s,
beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...
es, and
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'') an ...
s make up most of the coastal landscape. A large lagoon, ''Bajo Tortugo'' ("Bay of the Little Tortoise"), is on the northern side, and there is an area named ''Las Matorrales'' in the southern part. Several hills, some of which have flattened top or peaks can be seen along the region. Cintra Bay has a peninsula at each end. Punta de las Raimas in the north is in length and mostly sandy and has rocks and a reef at the tip, while a sand dune can be found on the Punta Negra, which has reefs extending about around it. The
shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and Earth science, geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank (geography), bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body ...
off to the southwest of Cintra Bay is called Banco de Sylvia. It lies between Dakhla and Cintra Bay, while Amseisat Saccum and Imlili are further east within the inner desert. Across the opposite side of ''Las Taraitas'' and Morro de Gorrei lies the Bay of Gorrei or the'Bahia de Gorrei, similar in shape but smaller than Cintra Bay. There are several other bays or inlets in shapes almost identical to Cintra or Gorrei Bays along the Rio de Oro region.


Bathymetry

The geographical and bathymetric factors of Cintra Bay make it suitable for fishing and aquaculture. Its shallowness and closed-in aspect give it the highest water temperatures in the region. The south–north current flows only within the bay and is affected by tides, notably in areas near open water. This current also causes a vortex, or marine circulation in
levorotation Optical rotation, also known as polarization rotation or circular birefringence, is the rotation of the orientation of the plane of polarization about the optical axis of linearly polarized light as it travels through certain materials. Circul ...
, at the northern area.


Natural history

The bay's coastline and surrounding areas are part of the western
Sahara Desert The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
, being covered mostly by dunes, making Cintra bay's
vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plants and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular Taxon, taxa, life forms, structure, Spatial ecology, spatial extent, or any other specific Botany, botanic ...
very poor. In contrast to the land, the waters in this area are part of the Canary Current System which is a highly productive
ocean current An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of seawater generated by a number of forces acting upon the water, including wind, the Coriolis effect, breaking waves, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences. Depth contours, sh ...
, and the
Nouadhibou Nouadhibou (; , ), formerly named Port-Étienne, is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial center. The city has about 173,000 inhabitants. It is situated on a 65-kilometre peninsula or headland called Ras Nouadhibou ...
Upwelling. One of major upwelling zones is located just off the continental shelf. This makes the area one of the richest grounds for fishing in the world, and Cintra Bay itself serves as a hotspot for zooplankton and a spawning ground for
sardine Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it com ...
s.
Cephalaspidea The order Cephalaspidea, also known as the headshield slugs and bubble snails, is a major taxon of sea slugs and bubble snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks within the larger clade Euopisthobranchia. Bubble shells is another commo ...
can also be found within the bay. Although Morocco once considered to create a national park including Cintra and Dakhla Bays, it has been claimed that both the environment and biodiversity of Cintra Bay are threatened by an ongoing plan to strengthen Morocco's aquaculture with support from the EU, and that research is needed in the area, notably on
right whale Right whales are three species of large baleen whales of the genus ''Eubalaena'': the North Atlantic right whale (''E. glacialis''), the North Pacific right whale (''E. japonica'') and the southern right whale (''E. australis''). They are class ...
s, and protections for local fishing communities.


Mammals


Cetaceans

Based on 19th century whaling records, the coastline from 10 miles north of Puntilla de las Raimas, called "Goree" Bay by whalers, to 20 miles north of Cabo Barbas and possibly a broader range was the only known wintering or calving ground for the eastern North Atlantic population of
North Atlantic right whale The North Atlantic right whale (''Eubalaena glacialis'') is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena'', all of which were formerly classified as a single species. Because of their docile nature, their sl ...
s. These whales are now thought to be either extinct or in the low-tens of animals left at best. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Cintra Bay Ground was one of three or four major grounds for right whale hunting in the North Atlantic, along with the south-eastern coastal United States, Cape Farewell in
Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...
, and probably the
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
ic region, and also being one of two winter-spring fields along with the US coasts. Approximately 92 whales were killed during 44 visits by whalers from November to April each year, giving this region the highest catch density in the 19th century, though whaling was not carried out during all seasons. 82 of those animals were actually taken in the first two years of 1855–56, probably with some other species such as the humpbacks. A scientific survey extending to Dakhla peninsula/bay was conducted in 1998 and no evidence of any right whales still using the area was found. It was also found that these coastal waters were surprisingly poor in cetacean biodiversity. Only two species were found regularly, both with very small numbers, and both were found only in the Dakhla Bay region: a larger type of
bottlenose dolphin The bottlenose dolphin is a toothed whale in the genus ''Tursiops''. They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus contains three species: the common bot ...
and Atlantic humpback dolphins.
Killer whale The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopolit ...
s are known to occur along the coasts of Western Sahara today and occasionally in large numbers, according to whaling logs. Recent studies gave hope that Cinta Bay could possibly be recolonized by right whales from the western population, as the two populations have been revealed to be much closer to each other than was previously thought. Regardless of habitat densities, baleen whales,
fin whale The fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus''), also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleen whale and the second-longest cetacean after the blue whale. The biggest individual reportedly measured in length, wi ...
s, Brydes's whale,
sei whale The sei whale ( , ; ''Balaenoptera borealis'') is a baleen whale. It is one of ten rorqual species, and the third-largest member after the blue and fin whales. It can grow to in length and weigh as much as . Two subspecies are recognized: ...
s, and
minke whale The minke whale (), or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleen whale. The two species of minke whale are the common (or northern) minke whale and the Antarctic (or southern) minke whale. The minke whale was first described by the Danish na ...
s are known to still occur along the coasts of Western Sahara. Of these, fin whales and Bryde's whales had been confirmed in Dakhla and Cintra - Gorrei areas. Other species such as
Risso's dolphin Risso's dolphin (''Grampus griseus'') is a marine mammal and dolphin, the only species of the genus ''Grampus''. Some of the most closely related species to these dolphins include: pilot whales (''Globicephala'' spp.), pygmy killer whales (''Fere ...
s,
common dolphin The common dolphin (''Delphinus delphis'') is the most abundant cetacean in the world, with a global population of about six million. Despite this fact and its vernacular name, the common dolphin is not thought of as the archetypal dolphin, wit ...
s,
rough-toothed dolphin The rough-toothed dolphin (''Steno bredanensis'') is a species of dolphin that can be found in deep warm and tropical waters around the world. The species was first described by Georges Cuvier in 1823. The genus name ''Steno'', of which this spe ...
s, and
harbor porpoise The harbour porpoise (''Phocoena phocoena'') is one of eight extant species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest species of cetacean. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar ...
s that have been confirmed in Bay of Arguin area may possibly occur here as well.


Pinnipeds

Along with cetaceans, Cintra Bay may provide an important habitat for critically endangered
Mediterranean monk seal The Mediterranean monk seal (''Monachus monachus'') is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae. , it is estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean, (especially) in the A ...
s. They were severely hunted to the brink of extinction in the 15th century by European sealers and local tribes, and are now almost extinct in the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
. Though not in Cintra Bay, Cabo Blanco on Dakhla Peninsula still hosts the largest of the remaining colonies.


Terrestrial species

A large fraction of the biodiversity of terrestrial animals along the bay is unclear and has not been studied. Friendly
camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...
s (
dromedary The dromedary (''Camelus dromedarius''), also known as the dromedary camel, Arabian camel and one-humped camel, is a large camel of the genus '' Camelus'' with one hump on its back. It is the tallest of the three camel species; adult males sta ...
) live around the coast.


Sea reptiles

Sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...
s are known to nest on the beach along the bay. There have been studies focusing on Dakhla region.


Birds

Many species of migratory birds and oceanic birds, such as Western Palearctic waders, winter on West Sahara's coastline, in the Cintra Bay region and the Banc d'Arguin National Park, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
,
Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...
where nearly 110 species of seabirds are confirmed. Based on bio-tracking studies,
osprey The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...
is also a species to migrate here.


Settlements

The area is very remote and almost unpopulated, with only several small fishing settlements of shacks scattered along the coast. Of these, ''Puntillas de las Raimas'' which is at Bajo Tortugo, the northern end of the bay, is the largest. However, the population has reduced in recent times and the village was almost abandoned as of 2012.Paul Wildlifewriter. 2014.
Ghost Town - Geography lessons from Ospreys #437
Retrieved December 26. 2014
''Porto Rico'', another fishing settlement in the north of the bay, also lost significant population. The closest urban city is at Dakhla, approximately away.


Tourism

Although Cintra Bay has been considered a local attraction, sandstorms (especially in the spring) and mines collected from Cabo Barbas make the area unsuitable for tourists.Western Sahara (Morocco): Tan-Tan – Fort Guerguerat
(pdf). Retrieved March 28, 2017


Notes


See also

*
North Atlantic right whale The North Atlantic right whale (''Eubalaena glacialis'') is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena'', all of which were formerly classified as a single species. Because of their docile nature, their sl ...


References

{{Geography of Africa Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab Bays of Western Sahara