Coastal inlet, northeastern North Carolina, U.S. Protected from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks , it is about 50 mi (80 km) long and 514 mi (823 km) wide.
It is connected with Chesapeake Bay by the Dismal Swamp and the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. Elizabeth City is its chief port. Explored by Ralph Lane in 1585, it was later named for George Monck, duke of Albemarle.