Harbor
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A harbour (or harbor) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. Harbours can be man-made or natural. A man-made harbour will have sea walls or breakwaters. A natural harbour will be surrounded on most sides by land. Harbours and ports are often confused. A port is a man-made coastal or riverine facility where boats and ships can load and unload. It may consist of quays, wharfs, jetties, piers and slips with cranes or ramps. A port may have magazine buildings or warehouses for storage of goods and a transport system, such as railway, road transport or pipeline transport facilities for relaying goods inland.
During the D-Day operations of 1944, two artificial harbours (codenamed Mulberry) were built just off the invasion beaches.
Natural harbours have long been of great strategic and economic importance. Many of the great cities of the world are located on a natural harbour. Such as Victoria City and Kowloon along Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong
Ice-free harbours
For harbours near the poles, being ice-free is an important advantage, ideally all-year round. Examples are Murmansk (Russia), Petsamo (Russia, formerly Finland), Vardø, and Prince Rupert, British Columbia (Canada).
Largest harbours
There is no dispute that Sydney Harbour is the world's largest natural harbour, but the identity of the second largest is apparently a matter of some controversy: several towns and cities across the world claim to possess the second largest. These places include:
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Falmouth, Cornwall, Britain
- Poole, Dorset, Britain
- Cork, Ireland
Artificial harbours are frequently built for use as ports. The largest artificially created harbour is located in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Scenary
Natural harbours can be scenary and attractive tourist destinations. A notable example is Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. The best view is from Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island.