CONCEPTION BAY

inlet of the Atlantic Ocean indenting the north coast of the Avalon Peninsula in southeastern Newfoundland, Canada. It was named by Gaspar Crte-Real, the Portuguese explorer who visited the coast in 1500 on the Feast of the Conception (December 8). The bay is about 30 miles (50 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide. Its shore areas are among the oldest and most densely settled of Newfoundland; Cupids, on the southwestern shore, was the first English settlement made by John Guy (1610). Major coastal towns include Harbour Grace, Carbonear, and Wabana, the latter on Bell Island in the southeastern part of the bay. In addition, there are many small fishing communities supporting salmon, cod, and lobster canneries and beach resorts such as Holyrood. Part of the bay is underlaid with rich iron-ore deposits, which were mined from Bell Island until 1966.