BISCAYNE BAY

shallow inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, along southeastern Florida, U.S. It is about 40 miles (64 km) long and 210 miles (316 km) wide and forms a part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The bay connects with the ocean mainly through Safety Valve Entrance and with Florida Bay (south) through a series of sounds. It is bordered by Miami on the northwest and by Miami Beach and several other islands on the northeast, with the Florida Keys lining the rest of the eastern portion of the bay. Tourism is the main economic activity. The bay was named for an early explorer called El Biscaino, who came from the province of Viscaya (Biscaya), Spain. In 1968 more than half (96,000 acres [39,000 hectares]) of the bay's water and reef, with a rich, varied tropical marine life, was declared a national monument; in 1980 it became a national park.