Yueqing Bay

Yueqing Bay
乐清湾
Coastal tidal flats along the western shore of Yueqing Bay
Bathymetry of the Yueqing Bay and its environs
LocationNorth of the estuary of the Ou River and along the northern margin of the Wenzhou Bay, bordering Yuhuan to the east and Yueqing to the west, with Wenling at its tip
Coordinates28°10′30″N 121°07′53″E / 28.1748963°N 121.1313986°E / 28.1748963; 121.1313986
TypeSemi-enclosed bay
EtymologyYueqing City on its west coast
Primary inflowsQingjiang (Qing River), Baixi (Bai Creek), Shuizhangxi (Shuizhang Creek), Lingxi (Ling Creek), Jiangxia (Jiangxia Creek) and Dajingxi (Dajing Creek), etc.
Catchment area1,470 km2 (570 sq mi)
Basin countriesChina
Max. length47 km (29 mi)
Max. width15 km (9.3 mi)
Surface area469 km2 (181 sq mi)
Average depth6.3 m (21 ft)
Max. depthOver 70 m (230 ft)
Residence time49.5 days on average
Shore length1220 km (140 mi)
FrozenNever
IslandsXimen Island, Maoyan Island, Jiangyan Island, Dawu Island and Xiaowu Island, etc.
Interactive map of Yueqing Bay
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.
Yueqing Bay
Simplified Chinese乐清湾
Traditional Chinese樂清灣
Literal meaningYueqing Bay
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYuèqīng Wān

Yueqing Bay (Chinese: 乐清湾; pinyin: Yuèqīng Wān) is a semi-enclosed bay in southern Zhejiang of China. It lies north of the estuary of the Ou River and along the northern margin of the Wenzhou Bay, bordering Yuhuan to the east and Yueqing to the west, with Wenling at its tip. The mouth of the bay opens southwards and is fringed by the islands of Dongtou. The bay takes its name from Yueqing on its western shore.

Originally a tidal channel between Wenzhou Bay and Xuanmen Bay, Yueqing Bay gradually developed into a semi-enclosed harbour after the silting and closure of Xuanmen Harbour. The bay extends approximately 47 km (29 mi) from north to south and up to 15 km (9.3 mi) at its widest point from east to west, covering a sea area of about 469 km2 (181 sq mi), with a total coastline exceeding 220 km (140 mi).