Panoramic view from the front of Socerb Castle

The Gulf of Trieste ( it, Golfo di Trieste, sl, Tržaški zaliv, hr, Tršćanski zaljev, german: Golf von Triest) is a very shallow bay of the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...

, in the extreme northern part of the

. It is part of the Gulf of Venice and is shared by

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

and

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

. It is closed to the south by the peninsula of

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian and Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian, Italian and Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic betwe ...

, the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea, shared between Croatia and Slovenia. The entire Slovenian sea is part of the Gulf of Trieste.

Overview

The gulf is limited by an imaginary line connecting the Punta Tagliamento on the Italian and

Savudrija Savudrija () is a coastal settlement in northwestern Istria, Croatia. It has developed from a fishing village into a pleasant holiday centre. Savudrija is also the name of the surrounding area in the peninsula. The 19th century Savudrija Light ...

(''Punta Salvore'') on the Croatian coast. Its area is approximately , its average depth is , and its maximum depth is . With the exception of flat islets blocking the entrance to Marano-Grado lagoon, there are no islands in the gulf. Its eastern coasts, with

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into pr ...

and the

Slovenian Littoral The Slovene Littoral ( sl, Primorska, ; it, Litorale; german: Küstenland) is one of the five traditional regions of Slovenia. Its name recalls the former Austrian Littoral (''Avstrijsko Primorje''), the Habsburg possessions on the upper Adri ...

, have more rugged relief. The sea current in the gulf flows counterclockwise. Its average speed is 0.8

knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot may also refer to: Places * Knot, Nancowry, a village in India Archaeology * Knot of Isis (tyet), symbol of welfare/life. * Minoan snake goddess figurines#Sacral knot Arts, entertainme ...

. Tides in the gulf are among the largest in the Adriatic Sea, but nevertheless do not usually exceed . The average

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt (chemistry), salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensio ...

is 37–38

‰ Per mille (from Latin , "in each thousand") is an expression that means parts per thousand. Other recognised spellings include per mil, per mill, permil, permill, or permille. The associated sign is written , which looks like a percent ...

, but in the summer it falls below 35‰. Its most prominent features are: * The Bay of Panzano in Italy * The

Bay of Muggia A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...

in Italy * The Bay of Grignano in Italy * The Bay of Koper in Slovenia * The

Gulf of Piran The Gulf of Piran or Piran Bay ( sl, Piranski zaliv, hr, Piranski zaljev, it, Baia di Pirano) is located in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, and is a part of the southernmost tip of the Gulf of Trieste. Overview It was named after the tow ...

, the sovereignty over which has been a matter of dispute between Croatia and Slovenia since 1991. The entire Slovenian coastline is located on the Gulf of Trieste. Its length is .The World Factbook by CIA
(retrieved 2008-02-12) Towns along the coastline include (from east to west)

Koper Koper (; it, Capodistria, hr, Kopar) is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, approximately five kilometres () south of the border with Italy and 20 kilometres () from Triest ...

Izola Izola (; it, Isola ) is a town in southwestern Slovenia on the Adriatic coast of the Istrian peninsula. It is the seat of the Municipality of Izola. Its name originates from Italian ''Isola'', which means 'island'. History An ancient Roman ...

, and Piran.

References

External links

*
Gulf of Trieste on Geopedia.si
(map, relief, orthophoto) * Conditions in the Gulf of Trieste on and near the Slovene coast: *

- graphs, in the following order, of water level and temperature data for the past 30 days (taken in

by ARSO) *
Piran
- graphs, in the following order, of water temperature, wave height, wave (interval) period, wave direction, current speed, current direction, maximum wave height data for the past 30 days (taken near Piran by ARSO) {{DEFAULTSORT:Trieste Gulfs of Italy Gulfs of the Mediterranean Gulfs of Croatia Gulfs of Slovenia Geography of Trieste Croatia–Slovenia border Italy–Slovenia border Bays of the Adriatic Sea

Overview

See also

References

External links