Albemarle Sound - Definition and Overview

Albemarle Sound with the northern Outer Banks. Orbital photo courtesy of NASA.

Albemarle Sound is a body of generally fresh water on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan and Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a long barrier peninsula upon which the town of Kitty Hawk is located, at the eastern edge of the sound. Roanoke Island is situated at the southeastern corner of the sound, where it connects to Pamlico Sound.

The sound (see definition at that entry) forms part of the Intercoastal Waterway.