World Shores and Beaches: A Descriptive and Historical Guide to 50 Coastal Treasures

by Mary Ellen Snodgrass

Overview

Much diversity exists among the beaches and shores of the world. Some have features as unique as fingerprints, from the cliff divers of Acapulco to the Samoan herbalists of Ofu Island. In Vietnam, Halong Bay charged aboriginal imaginations with its sea corridors, rock spindles, and sculpted tors. At Punta Espinosa, Ferdinanda, life's clear model of biological engineering influenced the scientific philosophy of Charles Darwin.

This reference work begins with an introduction expressing the significance of beaches and shores to human history, religion, philosophy, and eco-awareness. Each entry begins with a topographical description and contacts for the region, discusses topics such as mythical and tribal stories, artistry, religious meanings and pilgrimages, activism, conquests and the slave trade, piracy, human development, and tourism, and concludes with a summary of coastal activities available today. The work also includes a glossary, appendices of beaches and shores arranged by country, and selected literary works and films arranged alphabetically and chronologically. From "Nukey Poo," the Antarctic nuclear reactor, to sandcastle contests at Woolacombe, Devon, this encyclopedia covers fascinating aspects of the world's coasts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786418862
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	08/15/2005
Pages:	318
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.64(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mary Ellen Snodgrass is an award-winning author of English and Latin textbooks and reference works for 40 years. She taught at Hickory High School and Lenoir Rhyne University in North Carolina for 23 years. Her writing focuses on women’s and world literature and history and general research topics, including epidemics, the history of money, clothing, food, and dance. She lives in Hickory, North Carolina.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Preface      
Introduction     
Beaches and Shores Listed by Country     

Acapulco, Mexico     
Aldabra, Seychelles     
Alexandria, Egypt     
Apo Reef, Philippines     
Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina     
Birsay Bay, Orkney     
Cape Hatteras, North Carolina     
Capernaum, Israel     
Chersonese, Ukraine     
Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia     
Cyrenia, Cyprus     
Delos, Greece     
Dingle, Ireland     
Dubai, United Arab Emirates     
Elmina Castle, Ghana     
Essaouira, Morocco     
Fortescue Bay, Tasmania     
Halong Bay, Vietnam     
Ijsselmeer, Holland     
Imari Bay, Kyushu, Japan     
Jeffreys Bay, South Africa     
Kaho'Olawe, Hawaii     
Kaikoura Peninsula, New Zealand     
Kraternaya Bay, Kuril Islands     
Lindisfarne, Farne Islands, Northumberland     
Lipari, Sicily     
Manzanillo, Costa Rica     
Matagorda Island, Texas     
Matrah, Oman     
McMurdo Sound, Antarctica     
Monte Carlo, Monaco     
Monterey, California     
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina     
Ofu Island, Manu'a, America Samoa     
Omaha Beach, France     
Ostia, Italy     
Phuket, Thailand     
Point Barrow, Alaska     
Port Royal, Jamaica     
Punta Espinosa, Fernandina Island,
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador     
Red Bay, Labrador     
Roskilde Fjord, Denmark     
Salvador da Bahia, Brazil     
Selinus, Cilicia, Turkey     
Stone Town, Zanzibar     
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia     
Tintagel Head, Cornwall     
Uchinada, Japan     
Vizcaya, Miami Beach, Florida     
Woolacombe, Devon     

Glossary     
Appendix: Selected Literary Works and Films Providing Data on Beaches and Shores     
General Bibliography     
Index