Long, narrow, curved sandbar forming a promontory on Hatteras Island, N.C., U.S. It extends 70 mi (113 km) along the Outer Banks between the Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound .
Much of it is included in Cape Hatteras National Seashore, established in 1937. It is the site of the tallest lighthouse in the U.S., 208 ft (63 m) high; the lighthouse was moved to 1,600 ft (488 m) inland in 2000 after erosion threatened the structure.