Outer Banks or the Banks, chain of sand barrier islands and peninsulas, c.175 mi (280 km), along the Atlantic coast of SE Va. and E N.C. Separated by inlets and enclosing several saltwater lagoons, or sounds, the main islands, from north to south, are Bodie, Roanoke Roanoke Island, 12 mi (19 km) long and 3 mi (4.8 km) wide, NE N.C., off the Atlantic coast between Croatan (W) and Roanoke (E) sounds in the Outer Banks . Manteo is the chief town, and tourism and fishing are the principal industries.
..... Click the link for more information. , Hatteras, Ocracoke, Portsmouth, and Core Banks; the islands and peninsulas south of Core Banks to Smith Island are sometimes not considered part of the Outer Banks. Three prominent capes, Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras National Seashore (30,319 acres/12,279 hectares; est. 1937), a vast expanse of sand and water, is made up of Hatteras, Bodie, and Ocracoke islands and comprises one of the largest stretches of undeveloped seashore on the U.S. Atlantic coast.
..... Click the link for more information. (Hatteras Island), Cape Lookout Lookout, Cape, point of a sandy reef (Core Banks), off E N.C., SW of Cape Hatteras. The reef guards the port entrance to Beaufort and Morehead City. A lighthouse on the point was built in 1859 and is included in

Cape Lookout National Seashore
..... Click the link for more information. (Core Banks Island), and Cape Fear (Smith Island), mark the locations of shifting Atlantic shoals that are the graveyards of many ships. The Banks are generally 1 mi (1.6 km) wide or less, and are subject to frequent hurricanes. Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras national seashores and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge are in the Banks, which are a popular vacation area. Behind the Banks, Currituck Sound begins S of Back Bay in SE Virginia, expands into Albemarle Sound, narrows into Croatan and Roanoke sounds (between which lies Roanoke Island), expands again into Pamlico Sound (the largest by far), then narrows again in Core and Bogue sounds. South of Bogue, the Banks are separated from the mainland largely by the still narrower channel of the Intracoastal Waterway, part natural, part canal. Several large estuaries extend inland from Albemarle and Pamlico sounds.

Outer Banks

Chain of barrier islands, North Carolina coast, U.S. Extending southward 175 mi (282 km) along the coast, it stretches from the Virginia border to Cape Lookout. Generally covered with sand dunes, the islands range from a few feet to more than 100 ft (160 m) in height. Most are linked by roads and causeways; there are numerous beaches, making the Outer Banks a popular resort area. Once a hideout for pirates and a place of shipwrecks, the islands have several historical sites, including Roanoke Island and Kitty Hawk, site of the Wright brothers' first powered flight.