Cape Cod
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the hooked peninsula of the southeastern part of the state. It juts 35 miles (56 km) eastward into the Atlantic, then curves northward about the same distance. There are 300 miles (480 km) of shoreline, including many fine beaches and harbors. Wind-swept sand dunes and low, wooded hills form much of the surface. Extensive cranberry bogs on Cape Cod provide a large share of the nation's cranberries.
The main source of income is the summer resort business. The charm of towns and villages attracts many visitors as well as colonies of artists and writers, and theatrical companies, including the Cape Cod School of Art and the Provincetown Players. Cape Cod National Seashore is here.
Cape Cod makes up Barnstable County. Among the largest communities are Hyannis, Falmouth, Sandwich, and Barnstable. Woods Hole has one of the world's leading centers for marine studies. Provincetown, on the tip of the Cape, was the site of the first landing of the Pilgrims, in 1620.
Permanent population: 222,230.