Outer Banks

… are a string of low, narrow, sandy islands extending for more than 175 mi. from the Virginia state line to below Cape Lookout. They are separated from the mainland of North Carolina by broad, shallow sounds. Narrow inlets through the Outer Banks provide access to the Atlantic Ocean from the sounds. The Outer Banks, from N to s, are Currituck Banks, Bodie Island, Pea Island, Hatteras Island, Ocracoke Island, Portsmouth Island, Core Banks, Shackleford Banks, and Bogue Banks. In 1709 John Lawson wrote of the "Sand Banks." In 1713 the term "Sea Banks" was used in describing them (see Shackleford Banks). See also Carolarns Islands; Croatoan Island.