Much diversity exists among the beaches and shores of the world. Some have features as unique as fingerprints, from the cliff divers of Acapulco to the Samoan herbalists of Ofu Island. In Vietnam, Halong Bay charged aboriginal imaginations with its sea corridors, rock spindles, and sculpted tors. At Punta Espinosa, Ferdinanda, life’s clear model of biological engineering influenced the scientific philosophy of Charles Darwin.
This reference work begins with an introduction expressing the significance of beaches and shores to human history, religion, philosophy, and eco-awareness. Each entry begins with a topographical description and contacts for the region, discusses topics such as mythical and tribal stories, artistry, religious meanings and pilgrimages, activism, conquests and the slave trade, piracy, human development, and tourism, and concludes with a summary of coastal activities available today. The work also includes a glossary, appendices of beaches and shores arranged by country, and selected literary works and films arranged alphabetically and chronologically. From “Nukey Poo,” the Antarctic nuclear reactor, to sandcastle contests at Woolacombe, Devon, this encyclopedia covers fascinating aspects of the world’s coasts.

Mary Ellen Snodgrass is an award-winning author of English and Latin textbooks and reference works for 35 years. She taught at Hickory High School and Lenoir Rhyne University in North Carolina for 23 years. Her writing focuses on women’s and world literature and history and general research topics, including epidemics, the history of money, clothing, food, and dance. She lives in Hickory, North Carolina.

Mary Ellen Snodgrass
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 318
Bibliographic Info: photos, glossary, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2005
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1886-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v

Preface       1

Introduction      5

Beaches and Shores Listed by Country      9

Acapulco, Mexico      11

Aldabra, Seychelles      15

Alexandria, Egypt      19

Apo Reef, Philippines      27

Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina      31

Birsay Bay, Orkney      37

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina      41

Capernaum, Israel      51

Chersonese, Ukraine      57

Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia      62

Cyrenia, Cyprus      67

Delos, Greece      71

Dingle, Ireland      78

Dubai, United Arab Emirates      83

Elmina Castle, Ghana      90

Essaouira, Morocco      94

Fortescue Bay, Tasmania      99

Halong Bay, Vietnam      103

Ijsselmeer, Holland      107

Imari Bay, Kyushu, Japan      112

Jeffreys Bay, South Africa      115

Kaho’Olawe, Hawaii      119

Kaikoura Peninsula, New Zealand      126

Kraternaya Bay, Kuril Islands      131

Lindisfarne, Farne Islands, Northumberland      136

Lipari, Sicily      142

Manzanillo, Costa Rica      148

Matagorda Island, Texas      151

Matrah, Oman      157

McMurdo Sound, Antarctica      163

Monte Carlo, Monaco      170

Monterey, California      175

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina      182

Ofu Island, Manu’a, America Samoa      184

Omaha Beach, France      190

Ostia, Italy      197

Phuket, Thailand      202

Point Barrow, Alaska      205

Port Royal, Jamaica      212

Punta Espinosa, Fernandina Island,

Galápagos Islands, Ecuador      217

Red Bay, Labrador      223

Roskilde Fjord, Denmark      230

Salvador da Bahia, Brazil      234

Selinus, Cilicia, Turkey      238

Stone Town, Zanzibar      242

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia      249

Tintagel Head, Cornwall      253

Uchinada, Japan      260

Vizcaya, Miami Beach, Florida      263

Woolacombe, Devon      270

Glossary      275

Appendix: Selected Literary Works and Films Providing Data on Beaches and Shores      279

General Bibliography      285

Index      289