A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp.

For the acronym COAST see COAST.

A coast is that part of an island or continent that borders an ocean, gulf, sea, or large lake. In geology and geography, the coast extends inland from the shoreline. The terms coast and coastal refer to the condition of being located on or near a coast. For example, Los Angeles is a coastal city; California, Oregon, and Washington are on the West Coast of the United States.

Most of the world's population lives near to a coast, partly to take advantage of marine resources such as fish, but more importantly to participate in seaborne trade with other nations. Major cities grow up around good harbours and ports are built to take advantage of this. Countries that are landlocked and have no coast are often at a disadvantage with overseas trade being more difficult.

Coasts are also an important draw for tourists, especially those with beaches and warm water. In many island nations such as those of the South Pacific and Caribbean, tourism by those who come to enjoy the coast is central to the economy. Coasts are popular destinations because of recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, surfing, boating, and sun bathing. Many also enjoy the salt air by the sea coast, which some consider to have health benefits.

The coast, especially for isolated nations such as the United Kingdom or the United States is often a crucial defensive frontier, both for warding off armies but also smugglers and illegal migrants. Coastal defenses have thus long been erected in many nations. Most coastal countries also have some form of coast guard.

The term coast can be used for large lakes, but lake shore is more common. For a river the equivalent of a coast is a river bank .

Types of coast

• emergent coastline - coast has risen or sea level has fallen from previous level.
• submergent coastline - coast has fallen or sea level has risen from previous level.
• concordant coastline - rock bands run parallel to shore.
• discordant coastline - rock bands run perpendicular to shore.

See also

Coastal landforms & features

• arch — archipelago
• bar — barrier island — bay — beach — boondock
• cape — cave — cliff — cove
• delta — dune system
• estuary
• fjord
• gulf
• headland
• island — island arc
• lagoon
• mud flat
• peninsula
• raised beach — ria
• salt marsh — sea — spit — stack — stump
• tombolo
• wave cut cliff — wave cut notch — wave cut platform
• How long is a coastline?

Processes

• attrition
• currents
• denudation — deposition
• erosion
• flooding
• longshore drift
• saltation — sea level change (eustatic — isostatic ) — sedimentation — sediment transportation — solution — sub-aerial processes — suspension
• tides
• waves — weathering

Related topics & articles

• Coral reefs
• Earth science
• Geography — Geology — Geomorphology
• How Long Is the Coast of Britain? Statistical Self-Similarity and Fractional Dimension
• Marine biology
• Ocean
• geography
• Coastal management

Famous coasts

• Gold Coast (Ghana)
• Grain Coast (Liberia)
• Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
• Slave Coast (Benin)
• Skeleton Coast of Namibia
• Barbary Coast in the Maghreb, the coastal plain of North Africa
• Gold Coast, Australia
• Gold Coast, Florida and "Gold Coast" of Long Island, among other luxurious "Gold Coast" marine resorts
• Jurassic Coast (England)
• West Coast, New Zealand
• East Coast of the United States
• West Coast of the United States
• Costa Brava and Costa del Sol, the Mediterranean coasts of Spain
• Côte d'Azur, in the Riviera of France and Italy
• Adriatic Coast of Croatia and neighbouring countries
• The North Slope of coastal Alaska