By Arun Chitnis
Cape Cod encompasses a square area of 1033 kilometers. It is a peninsula in Northeast USA, situated in the eastern part of Massachusetts. Its connection to the mainland was, for all practical purposes, effectively cut in 1914 by the Cape Cod Canal.
In 1930, the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges were constructed, and a connective railroad bridge also exists. Since then, Cape Cod can be termed an island, with the part called Upper Cape in closest proximity to mainland Massachusetts. It encompasses the towns of Sandwich, Falmouth, Mashpee and Bourne.
Closer to the interior of Cape Cod is the Mid Cape, which includes the towns of Yarmouth, Barnstable and Dennis. Many villages are located in this area, as is the popular wind surfing destination Kalmus Beach (in Hyannis.)
Wellfleet, Truro, Orleans, Provincetown, Chatham, Brewster, Harwich and Eastham comprise the Lower Cape. This part of Cape Cod is a sharp Northward deviation that gives it its distinctive ‘bent arm’ shape.
Whale spotting is a popular activity in Cape Cod
Air transport facilities to and from Cape Cod comprise of the municipal airports at Barnstable and Provincetown. U.S. Route 6 or the Mid-Cape Highway runs squarely through the middle of Cape Cod. This makes almost every part of it very accessible.
It is a popular tourist destination, owing to the almost endless beaches that dominate the Eastern Atlantic seacoast. Approximately 40 miles of seashore in the 43, 500 acres of this prime residential and recreational land are clubbed under the National Park Service’s Cape Cod National Seashore. Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are also major tourist draws.
Memorial Day and Labor Day see a significant influx of tourists, and these occasions are an important part of Cape Cod’s overall economy. The tourist industry thrives during three months of the year and lies mostly dormant for the rest of it.
Whale-spotting is one of the most famous features of the tourist-oriented Cape Cod experience. The other mainstays of Cape Cod’s business infrastructure are its shellfish, lobster, oyster and cranberry exports.
© Arun Chitnis is a professional content and copywriter, proof-reader and editor. He wields his pen on a diverse range of topics, but his primary areas of interest are medical and lifestyle issues, family dynamics, parenting, natural health, home improvement, real estate, humor and fiction.
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