Prince William Sound, Bay in south-central Alaska, United States.
Prince William Sound is a bay in south-central Alaska in the United States, stretching between the Kenai Peninsula and the mainland coast. Fjords cut deeply into the land while islands of different sizes dot the water and glaciers descend to the shoreline.
British navigator George Vancouver named the bay in 1778 after Prince William, who later became King William IV of the United Kingdom. In 1989 the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground here and caused a severe oil spill.
The Chugach lived along these shores for generations, relying on the coastal waters for fishing and seal hunting. Their descendants maintain this connection to the sea and the natural world today.
Valdez sits on the northern shore and serves as a port for ferries and tour boats that explore the area. Visitors can see glaciers, wildlife, and remote coves here from April through October.
The Columbia Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in North America, stretches roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) and releases thousands of icebergs into the water daily. On some days entire sections of the bay resemble a drifting ice field.
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