Cape Cod encompasses a square area of 1,033 kilometers. It is a peninsula in the northeastern U.S., situated in the eastern part of Massachusetts. Its connection to the mainland was, for all practical purposes, effectively severed 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 area, which includes the towns of Yarmouth, Barnstable, and Dennis. Many villages are located in this area, as is the popular windsurfing 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. Air transport to and from Cape Cod is fairly simple and is comprised 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 forty 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. |
