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{{short description|Sheltered body of water where ships may shelter}}
{{Other uses}}
<!-- This article uses American spelling. Except for proper nouns.-->
[[File:Lower Manhattan Areal April 2013b.jpg|thumb|[[New York Harbor]] and the [[North River (Hudson River)|Hudson River]] in the foreground; the [[East River]] in the background]]
[[File:Jebel Ali Port 2 Imresolt.jpg|thumb|The [[Port of Jebel Ali|Jebel Ali]] harbor is the largest man-made harbor in the world.]]
[[File:Montevideouruguaynasa.jpg|thumb|[[Port of Montevideo|Montevideo]]'s natural harbor is clearly seen from above.]]
[[File:Capri harbour from Anacapri 2013.jpg|thumb|[[Capri]] harbor, Italy seen from [[Anacapri]]]]
[[File:Koyilandy harbour 03720.jpg|thumb|[[Koyilandy]] Harbour, [[Kerala]], India]]

A '''harbor''' ([[American English]]), or '''harbour''' ([[Commonwealth English]]; see [[American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or|spelling differences]]), is a sheltered [[body of water]] where [[ship]]s, [[boat]]s, and [[barge]]s can be [[Mooring|moored]]. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''[[port]]'', which is a man-made facility built for loading and unloading [[Watercraft|vessel]]s and dropping off and picking up passengers. Harbors usually include one or more ports. [[Alexandria Port]] in Egypt, meanwhile, is an example of a port with two harbors.

Harbors may be natural or artificial. An artificial harbor can have deliberately constructed [[breakwater (structure)|breakwater]]s, [[sea wall]]s, or [[jetties]] or they can be constructed by [[dredging]], which requires maintenance by further periodic dredging. An example of an artificial harbor is [[Long Beach Harbor]], [[California]], United States, which was an array of [[salt marshes]] and [[tidal flats]] too shallow for modern [[merchant ships]] before it was first dredged in the early 20th century.<ref  name="Geology campus">{{cite web |url=http://geology.campus.ad.csulb.edu/people/bperry/geology303/geol303chapter8.html |title=Geology 303 Ch 8 Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors |access-date=2014-01-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223191432/http://geology.campus.ad.csulb.edu/people/bperry/geology303/geol303chapter8.html |archive-date=2014-02-23 }}</ref> In contrast, a natural harbor is surrounded on several sides by land. Examples of natural harbors include [[Sydney Harbour]], New South Wales, Australia, [[Halifax Harbour]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], Canada, and [[Trincomalee Harbour]] in Sri Lanka.

==Artificial harbors {{anchor|Artificial harbor|Artificial harbour|Artificial harbours}} ==

Artificial harbors are frequently built for use as ports. The oldest artificial harbor known is the Ancient Egyptian site at [[Wadi al-Jarf]], on the Red Sea coast, which is at least 4500 years old (ca. 2600–2550 BCE, reign of King [[Khufu]]). The largest artificially created harbor is [[Port of Jebel Ali|Jebel Ali]] in [[Dubai]].<ref>{{Citation|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-513075-1|last=Hattendorf|first=John B.|title=The Oxford encyclopedia of maritime history|year=2007|page=590}}</ref> Other large and busy artificial harbors include:

* [[Port of Long Beach]] and [[Port of Los Angeles|Los Angeles]], California, United States
* [[Port of Casablanca]], Morocco 
* [[Port of Koper]], Slovenia

The Ancient Carthaginians constructed fortified, artificial harbors called [[cothon]]s.

==Natural harbors {{anchor|Natural harbor|Natural harbour|Natural harbours}} ==
{{See also|List of deepest natural harbours}}{{Excessive examples|date=June 2025|section}}[[File:ANTARA FOTO-Eric Ireng TERMINAL PETIKEMAS SURABAYA.jpg|thumb|[[Port of Tanjung Perak|Tanjung Perak]] is a famous example of a natural harbor in [[Indonesia]]. The harbor location in [[Madura Strait]].]]
A natural harbor is a [[landform]] where a section of a body of water is protected and deep enough to allow anchorage. Many such harbors are [[ria]]s. Natural harbors have long been of great [[military strategy|strategic naval]] and [[economic]] importance, and many great cities of the world are located on them. Having a protected harbor reduces or eliminates the need for breakwaters as it will result in calmer waves inside the harbor. Some examples are:
{{div col|colwidth=23em}}
* [[Bali Strait]], [[Indonesia]]
*  Berehaven Harbour, [[Ireland]] 
* [[Balikpapan Bay]] in [[East Kalimantan]], [[Indonesia]]
* [[Mumbai]] in [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
* [[Boston Harbor]] in [[Massachusetts]], [[United States]]
* [[Burrard Inlet]] in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]]
* [[Chittagong]] in [[Chittagong Division]], [[Bangladesh]]
* [[Cork Harbour|Cork Harbour, Ireland]]
* [[Esquimalt Harbour]] in [[Esquimalt]], [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]]
* [[Grand Harbour]], [[Malta]]
* [[Guantánamo Bay]], [[Cuba]]
* [[Gulf of Paria]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]]
* [[Haifa Bay]], in [[Haifa]], [[Israel]]
* [[Halifax Harbour]] in [[Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]]
* [[Hamilton Harbour]] in [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]
* [[Killybegs]] in [[County Donegal]], [[Ireland]]
* [[Kingston Harbour]], [[Jamaica]]
* [[Mahón]] harbour, in [[Menorca]], [[Spain]]
* [[Marsamxett Harbour]], [[Malta]]
* [[Milford Haven Waterway|Milford Haven]] in [[Wales]], [[United Kingdom]]
* [[New York Harbor]] in the [[United States]]
* [[Pago Pago Harbor]] in [[American Samoa]]
* [[Pearl Harbor]] in [[Hawaii]], [[United States]]
* [[Poole Harbour]] in [[England]], [[United Kingdom]]
* [[Port Hercules]], [[Monaco]]
* [[Port Jackson|Sydney Harbour]] in [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]], technically a ria
* [[Port Stephens (New South Wales)|Port Stephens]] in [[Australia]]
* [[Port of Tanjung Perak|Tanjung Perak]] in [[Surabaya]], [[Indonesia]]
* [[Port of Tobruk]] in [[Tobruk]], [[Libya]]
* [[Presque Isle Bay]] in [[Pennsylvania]], [[United States]]
* [[Prince William Sound]] in [[Alaska]], [[United States]]
* [[Puget Sound]] in [[Washington (state)|Washington state]], [[United States]]
* [[Rías Altas]] and [[Rías Baixas]] in [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], [[Spain]]
* [[Roadstead of Brest]] in [[Brittany]], [[France]]
* [[San Diego Bay]] in [[California]], [[United States]]
* [[San Francisco Bay]] in [[California]], [[United States]]
* [[Scapa Flow]] in [[Scotland]], [[United Kingdom]]
* [[Sept-Îles, Quebec|Sept-Îles]] in [[Côte-Nord]], [[Quebec]], [[Canada]]
* [[Shelburne, Nova Scotia|Shelburne]] in [[Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]]
* [[Subic Bay]] in [[Zambales]], [[Philippines]]
* [[Tallinn Bay]] in [[Tallinn]], [[Estonia]]
* [[Tampa Bay]] in [[Florida]], [[United States]]
* [[Trincomalee Harbour]], [[Sri Lanka]]
* [[Tuticorin]] in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
* [[Victoria Harbour]] in [[Hong Kong]], [[China]]
* [[Visakhapatnam Port|Visakhapatnam Harbour]], [[India]]
* [[Vizhinjam]] in [[Trivandrum]], [[India]]
* [[Waitematā Harbour]] in [[Auckland]], [[New Zealand]]
* [[Manukau Harbour]] in [[Auckland]], [[New Zealand]]
* [[Wellington Harbour]] in [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]]
* [[Port Foster]] in [[Deception Island]], [[Antarctica]]
{{div col end}}

== Ice-free harbors {{anchor|Ice-free harbor|Ice-free harbour|Ice-free harbours}} ==
For harbors near the [[geographical pole|North and South poles]], being ice-free is an important advantage, especially when it is year-round. Examples of these are:

*[[Hammerfest (town)|Hammerfest, Norway]]
*[[Liinakhamari]], Russia
*[[Murmansk, Russia]]
*[[Nakhodka]] in [[Nakhodka Bay]], Russia 
*[[Pechenga (urban-type settlement), Murmansk Oblast|Pechenga]], Russia
*[[Prince Rupert, British Columbia|Prince Rupert]], Canada
*[[Valdez, Alaska|Valdez]], United States
*[[Vardø (town)|Vardø]], Norway
*[[Vostochny Port]], Russia

The world's southernmost harbor, located at [[Antarctica]]'s [[Winter Quarters Bay]] (77° 50′ South), is sometimes ice-free, depending on the summertime [[pack ice]] conditions.<ref>[https://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2000/00OPP.htm U.S. Polar Programs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011204016/https://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2000/00OPP.htm |date=2021-10-11 }} National Science Foundation FY2000.</ref>

==Important harbors {{anchor|Important harbor|Important harbour|Important harbours}} ==
[[File:harbour.clovelly.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|The tiny harbor at the village of [[Clovelly]], [[Devon]], England]]
[[File:Skillshare, Alter Hafen Lüneburg.jpg|thumb|Old Harbor in [[Lüneburg]], Germany]]
[[File:Port of Piraeus Panoramic View.JPG|thumb|The harbor of [[Piraeus]] in Greece]]
[[File:PortJackson 2004 SeanMcClean.jpg|thumb|Port Jackson, Sydney]]
[[File:Gorey Harbour at low tide.JPG|thumb|The harbor of [[Gorey, Jersey]] falls dry at low tide.]]
[[File:Punta del este3.jpg|thumb|[[Punta del Este]]'s harbor – nicknamed the [[Monte Carlo]] of [[South America]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/calendar/2014-punta-del-este/punta-del-este-circuit.aspx |title=Circuit Guide &#124; Punta del Este, Uruguay |publisher=FIA Formula E |access-date=2014-08-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209040949/http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/calendar/2014-punta-del-este/punta-del-este-circuit.aspx |archive-date=2014-12-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2014/june/formula-e-reveals-circuit-for-punta-del-este-eprix.aspx |title=Formula E reveals circuit for Punta del Este ePrix |publisher=FIA Formula E |date=2014-06-20 |access-date=2014-08-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162323/http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2014/june/formula-e-reveals-circuit-for-punta-del-este-eprix.aspx |archive-date=2018-06-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114541 |title=Formula E unveils Punta del Este circuit in Uruguay |publisher=autosport.com |date=2014-06-20 |access-date=2014-08-24 |archive-date=2017-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629143457/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114541 |url-status=live}}</ref>]]

[[File:Aberystwith Harbour.jpeg|thumb|The harbor in [[Aberystwyth]], painted {{circa|1850}}]]{{Excessive examples|date=June 2025|section}}
Although the world's busiest port is a contested title, in 2017 the [[List of world's busiest ports by cargo tonnage|world's busiest harbor by cargo tonnage]] was the [[Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Port Development Annual Report (2017)|url=http://en.sisi-smu.org/index.php?c=article&id=16280|access-date=2021-10-29|archive-date=2021-01-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108235229/http://en.sisi-smu.org/index.php?c=article&id=16280|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The following are large natural harbors:<!-- PLEASE RESPECT ALPHABETICAL ORDER -->

{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
*[[Algeciras]], Spain
*[[Amsterdam]], [[Port of Amsterdam]], Netherlands
*[[Antwerp]], [[Port of Antwerp]], Belgium
*[[Baltimore]]'s [[Inner Harbor]], [[Maryland]], United States
*[[Botwood]], [[Newfoundland]], Canada
*[[Bremerhaven]], Germany
*[[Buenos Aires]], Argentina
*[[Busan]], South Korea
*[[Calabar, Nigeria]]
*[[Cartagena, Colombia]]
*[[Charleston, South Carolina]], United States
*[[Chennai, Tamil Nadu]], India
*[[Cochin Port]], [[Kochi, Kerala]], India
*[[Port of Chittagong]], [[Chittagong]], Bangladesh
*[[Dnipro]], Ukraine
*[[Durban, South Africa|Durban]], South Africa
*[[Falmouth, Cornwall]], England, United Kingdom
*[[Freetown|Freetown Harbour]], Sierra Leone
*[[Golden Horn]], [[Istanbul]], Turkey
*[[Gothenburg]], Sweden
*[[Gwangyang]], South Korea
*[[Hai Phong Port]], [[Haiphong]], Vietnam
*[[Haifa]], Israel
*[[Hakodate]], Japan
*[[Halifax Harbour]], [[Nova Scotia]], Canada
*[[Hamburg Harbour]], Germany
*[[Hampton Roads]], [[Norfolk, Virginia]], United States
*[[Havana Harbor]]
*[[Helsinki]], Finland
*[[Port of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]], China
*[[Incheon]], South Korea
*[[İzmir]], Turkey
*[[Port of Jakarta]] (''Tanjung Priok''), [[Jakarta]], Indonesia
*[[Kaliningrad]], Russia
*[[Karachi]], [[Sindh]], Pakistan
*[[Kerch]] and [[Port Krym]] to [[Port Kavkaz]], Russia
*[[Kyiv]], Ukraine
*[[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]], Jamaica
*[[Port of Kobe|Kobe Harbour]], [[Kobe]], Japan
*[[Port of Kolkata]], [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], India
*[[Port of Lisbon]], [[Lisbon]], Portugal
*[[Lüshunkou District|Lushunkou]], [[Dalian]], China
*[[Mahón]], [[Menorca]], Spain
*[[Manila Bay]], Philippines
*[[Maputo]], [[Mozambique]]
*[[Milford Haven (harbour)|Milford Haven]], Wales, United Kingdom
*[[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin]]
*[[Montevideo]], Uruguay
*[[Mumbai]], India
*[[Nassau, Bahamas]]
*[[New York Harbor]], United States
*[[Mykolaiv]], Ukraine
*[[Novorossiysk]] and [[Anapa]], Russia
*[[Odesa]], Ukraine
*[[Osaka]], Japan
*[[Oslofjord]] and [[Oslo]], Norway
*[[Pärnu]], Estonia
*[[Plymouth Sound]], Devon, England, United Kingdom
*[[Port of Portland (Maine)|Port of Portland]], [[Casco Bay]], [[Maine]], United States
*[[Port of Sevastopol]], [[Sevastopol]], Crimea
*[[Port Phillip]], [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria, Australia]]
*[[Provincetown Harbor]], [[Provincetown, Massachusetts]], United States
*[[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Guanabara Bay]], Brazil
*[[Rostov-on-Don]], Russia
*[[Rotterdam]], [[Port of Rotterdam]], Netherlands
*[[Salvador, Brazil|Salvador]], [[Baía de Todos os Santos|All Saint's Bay]], Brazil
*[[San Antonio, Chile]]
*[[San Diego Bay]], [[San Diego, California]], United States
*[[Saint Petersburg]], Russia
*[[Sochi]] and [[Adlersky City District]], Russia
*[[Stockholm]], Sweden
*[[Tallinn]], Estonia
*[[Tanger-Med]], [[Tangier]], [[Morocco]]
*[[Port of Tanjung Perak|Tanjung Perak]], [[Surabaya]], Indonesia
*[[Tauranga Harbour]], [[Tauranga]], New Zealand
*[[Tokyo Bay]], [[Tokyo]], Japan
*[[Trincomalee]], Sri Lanka
*[[Tuticorin]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
*[[Port of Tyne]], [[Tyne & Wear]], United Kingdom
*[[Ulsan]], South Korea
*[[Victoria Harbour (British Columbia)|Victoria]] & [[Esquimalt Harbour]]s, [[Victoria, British Columbia]], Canada
*[[Vizhinjam]] in [[Trivandrum]], India
*[[Vladivostok]], Russia
*[[Vyborg]], Russia
*[[Willemstad]], [[Curaçao]]
*[[Wellington Harbour]], New Zealand
*[[Yevpatoria]], Ukraine
*[[Zaporizhzhia]], Ukraine
}}
[[File:Mk Stettin Hafen2.jpg|thumb|[[Port of Szczecin]], Poland]]
[[File:Puerto Valpo nublado.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Valparaíso]], Chile]]

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Boyd's Automatic tide signalling apparatus]]
*[[Dock (maritime)|Dock]]
*[[Ice pier]]
*[[Inland harbor]]
*[[List of marinas]]
*[[List of deepest natural harbours]]
*[[List of seaports]]
*[[Mandracchio]]
*[[Marina]]
*[[Mulberry harbour]]
*[[Quay]]
*[[Roadstead]]
*[[Seaport]]
*[[Shipyard]]
*[[Wharf]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Commons-inline}}
* {{Wiktionary-inline}}
* [https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43222.pdf Harbor Maintenance Finance and Funding] [[Congressional Research Service]]
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Harbor|short=x}}

{{Ports and harbors}}

[[Category:Ports and harbours| ]]
[[Category:Coastal construction]]
[[Category:Nautical terminology]]
[[Category:Bodies of water]]
[[Category:Infrastructure]]
[[Category:Industrial buildings and structures]]

[[it:Porto]]
[[tt:Лиман]]