Thunder Bay (Ontario landform)

Thunder Bay is a large bay on the northern shore of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

, in

Thunder Bay District Thunder Bay District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district seat is Thunder Bay. In 2016, the population was 146,048. The land area is ; the population density was . Most ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The bay is about long and wide. It is bordered to the east by the

Sibley Peninsula The Sibley Peninsula is a long and wide peninsula in Ontario, Canada, on Lake Superior. It projects into the lake from Superior's north shore, and separates Thunder Bay to the west from Black Bay to the east.''Sleeping Giant Background Informat ...

at the southern tip of which is

Thunder Cape The Sleeping Giant is a series of mesas formed by the erosion of thick, basaltic sill (geology), sills on Sibley Peninsula which resembles a giant lying on its back when viewed from the west to north-northwest section of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Ca ...

, marking the entrance to the bay for ships approaching from the east. The

mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by ...

s and sills on the peninsula are known as the Sleeping Giant due to their appearance when viewed from Thunder Bay. Notable islands and island chains in the bay include: * Pie Island and nearby Flatland Island *

Welcome Islands The Welcome Islands ( es, Islas Bienvenido) are a small rocky archipelago to the north of the main island of South Georgia. They are to the east of Bird Island. They are west-northwest of Cape Buller Cape Buller () is a rugged headland f ...

Caribou Island Caribou Island may refer to: Places * Caribou Island, Alaska, USA; an island; see List of islands of Alaska Ontario, Canada There are six different islands in the province of Ontario called "Caribou Island" including: * Caribou Island (near Mich ...

Rivers emptying into the bay include the: *

Kaministiquia River The Kaministiquia River is a river which flows into western Lake Superior at the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. ''Kaministiquia'' (''Gaa-ministigweyaa'') is an Ojibwe word meaning "where a stream flows in island" due to two large islands (McKellar ...

Neebing River The Neebing River is a freshwater river in Canada. It extends along the western portions of Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontari ...

McIntyre River McIntyre, McEntire, MacIntyre, McAteer, and McIntire are Scottish and Irish surnames derived from the Gaelic ' literally meaning "Son of the Craftsman or Mason", but more commonly cited as "son of the Carpenter."Scottish Clans: MacIntyre - Origin ...

* Current River * MacKenzie River (18 km east of the city) *

Blende River Blende may refer to: Substances * Sphalerite (''Zinc blende'', ZnS), the most common usage * Hornblende, a complex inosilicate series of minerals * Pitchblende, former name of uraninite Places * Blende, Colorado * Blende mine, lead and zin ...

Wild Goose Creek Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...

Blind Creek Blind may refer to: * The state of blindness, being unable to see * A window blind, a covering for a window Blind may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Blind'' (2007 film), a Dutch drama by Tamar van den Dop * ''Blind' ...

The harbour at the City of

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

is Canada's westernmost

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

, and the end of Great Lakes navigation. The

Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

called it ''Animikie'', meaning "thunder". French explorers called it ''Baie du Tonnerre'' which was translated to Thunder Bay in English. In 1871, the bay gave its name to the newly created Thunder Bay District, and in 1970, the amalgamated city of Port Arthur and Fort William also adopted the name Thunder Bay. Bays of Ontario Landforms of Thunder Bay District Bays of Lake Superior {{NorthernOntario-geo-stub la:Sinus Tonitralis