San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
Coordinates	37°40′N 122°16′W / 37.67°N 122.27°W / 37.67; -122.27[1]
Type	Bay
River sources	Sacramento River San Joaquin River Petaluma River Napa River Guadalupe River
Ocean/sea sources	Pacific Ocean
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	97 km (60 mi)
Max. width	19 km (12 mi)
Surface area	400–1,600 sq mi (1,000–4,100 km2)
Average depth	12–15 ft (3.7–4.6 m)[2]
Max. depth	372 ft (113 m)
Settlements	San Francisco San Jose Oakland
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	San Francisco Bay/Estuary (SFBE)
Designated	February 2, 2013
Reference no.	2097[3]

San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.

San Francisco Bay drains water from approximately 40 percent of California. Water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, and from the Sierra Nevada mountains, flow into Suisun Bay, which then travels through the Carquinez Strait to meet with the Napa River at the entrance to San Pablo Bay, which connects at its south end to San Francisco Bay. It then connects to the Pacific Ocean via the Golden Gate strait. However, this entire group of interconnected bays is often called the San Francisco Bay. The bay was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance on February 2, 2013, and the Port of Oakland on the bay is one of the busiest cargo ports on the west coast.