PAMLICO SOUND

shallow body of water along the eastern shore of North Carolina, U.S., separated from the Atlantic Ocean by narrow barrier beaches (the Outer Banks) of which Cape Hatteras is the easternmost. The sound extends 80 miles (130 km) south, then southeastward, from Roanoke Island, and is 830 miles (1348 km) wide. It receives the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse-Trent rivers, while the main inlets from the ocean are Ocracoke and Hatteras. Numerous swans, geese, and ducks nest along the coastal waters, and there is some commercial fishing, especially for oysters. The name is derived from the Pamlico Indian tribe.