# What is a "landlocked harbor?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2007, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641 "2007-08-15T00:32:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ernesto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@ernesto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ernesto)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/1 "2007-08-15T00:32:51Z")
I see on the Internet these “facts” so to speak and one that keeps popping up is San Francisco is the largest landlocked harbor. Well obviously San Francisco isn’t landlocked so what is the definition. I see Seattle is named as a landlocked harbor too. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/2 "2007-08-15T00:38:49Z")
Landlocked = surrounded by land, so a landlocked harbor is one surrounded by land on all sides. Usually with a channel to enter. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/3 "2007-08-15T00:55:48Z")
So what’s an example of a harbour that is not landlocked? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/4 "2007-08-15T01:11:48Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] So what’s an example of a harbour that is not landlocked? [/QUOTE] [Chesapeake Bay](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay) [Pearl Harbor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor) [New Orleans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_New_Orleans) [Duluth-Superior Port](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Ports) [New York City Harbor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Harbor) And many, many more. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/5 "2007-08-15T01:28:10Z")
If you assume the ocean to be to the right, a left parentheses would be a standard harbor, while a “c” would be landlocked. ( C ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/6 "2007-08-15T01:41:37Z")
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net] [Pearl Harbor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor) [/QUOTE] Pearl Harbor is pretty landlocked. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/7 "2007-08-15T01:48:57Z")
[Google Maps view of Pearl Harbor.](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=21.343746,-157.960396&spn=0.152213,0.233459&z=12&om=1) ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/8 "2007-08-15T02:05:40Z")
[QUOTE=AudreyK] [Google Maps view of Pearl Harbor.](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=21.343746,-157.960396&spn=0.152213,0.233459&z=12&om=1) [/QUOTE] Amazingly, that is not at all pearl-shaped. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/9 "2007-08-15T02:30:07Z")
[urban legend spark] Pearl Harbor isn’t named that for its shape. It’s called that because, due to all the debris floating in the water after the bombing making its way into the oysters, you are absolutely guaranteed to find pearls in the oysters there. Sometimes you get multiple pearls from the same oyster! Part of the Arizona Memorial tour consists of pearl diving! Try it yourself for an awesome souvenir! As you may have guessed, the area called Pearl City, just north of the harbor, is built entirely of pearls pulled from the harbor. [/uls] ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/10 "2007-08-15T07:07:03Z")
[QUOTE=AudreyK] [Google Maps view of Pearl Harbor.](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=21.343746,-157.960396&spn=0.152213,0.233459&z=12&om=1) [/QUOTE] Not bad… 8 golf courses slash country clubs within a few miles. ---
**Author:** ![zeno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zeno/32/15040_2.png) [@zeno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeno)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/11 "2007-08-15T14:12:14Z")
Is a harbor not “land-locked” by definition? ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-landlocked-harbor/415641/12 "2007-08-15T18:37:38Z")
This seems to be an example of fudging the language. A landlocked country is a country surrounded by land on all sides, with no access to the ocean. Therefore, a landlocked harbor is impossible. Even if there is a tiny channel or river connecting the harbor to the ocean it’s not land locked since it has access to the ocean. If one can call a harbor landlocked, then it seems like we could call [Iraq](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Iraq_map.png) a landlocked country, since only a small percent of its border touches the ocean. Isn’t English wonderful?