Pamlico Sound

NE and E North Carolina, is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a part of the Outer Banks. Approx. 80 mi. long and 15 to 30 mi. wide. Shallow in the n; max. depth 21 ft. in the s. Sea level, freshwater, not affected by the tide. Waters from Albemarle Sound and Pamlico and Neuse Rivers enter the Sound, and it drains into the Atlantic Ocean through Hatteras and Ocracoke Inlets. Named for the Pamlico Indians who lived along its shores. Shown but not named on early maps; appears simply as The Sound on the Ogilby map, 1671, but as Pamticoe Sound on the Moseley map, 1733. The White map, 1590, labels the central part of the sound as Mentso, which see, and the N part as Nausegoc, which see. The largest sound on the E coast of the United States. See also Paquiac.