Bras d'Or Lake

Bras d'Or Lake
in late summer
Location	Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Coordinates	45°51′37″N 60°46′44″W / 45.86028°N 60.77889°W / 45.86028; -60.77889Coordinates: 45°51′37″N 60°46′44″W / 45.86028°N 60.77889°W / 45.86028; -60.77889
Type	estuary
Primary outflows	Gulf of St. Lawrence Atlantic Ocean
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	100 kilometres (62 mi)
Max. width	50 kilometres (31 mi)
Surface area	1,099 km2 (424 sq mi)
Max. depth	287 m (942 ft)
Water volume	32,000,000,000 m3 (4.2×1010 cu yd)
Shore length1	1,000 kilometres (621 mi) (excluding islands)
Surface elevation	0 metres (0 ft) (sea level)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Bras d'Or Lake /brəˈdɔːr/ is an inland sea, or large body of partially fresh/salt water in the centre of Cape Breton Island in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Bras d'Or Lake is sometimes referred to as the Bras d'Or Lakes or the Bras d'Or Lakes system; however, its official geographic name is Bras d'Or Lake as it is a singular entity. Canadian author and yachtsman Silver Donald Cameron describes Bras d'Or Lake as "A basin ringed by indigo hills laced with marble. Islands within a sea inside an island." The lake is connected to the North Atlantic by natural channels, the Great Bras d'Or Channel north of Boularderie Island and the Little Bras d'Or Channel to south of Boularderie Island, connect the northeastern arm of the lake to the Cabot Strait. The Bras d'Or is also connected to Atlantic Ocean via the Strait of Canso by means of a lock canal completed in 1869—the St. Peters Canal, at the southern tip of the lake.

There are several competing explanations of the origin of the name "Bras d'Or". The most popular is that the first Europeans to discover and subsequently settle the area were French, naming the lake Bras d'Or meaning "arm of gold"; this likely referring to the sun's rays reflected upon its waters. However, on the maps of 1872 and earlier, the lake is named "Le Lac de Labrador," (or more simply "Labrador") and this is more likely the true derivation of the present name. The literal meaning of Labrador is "Laborer." In a paper prepared by the late Dr. Patterson for the Nova Scotia Historical Society he says he believed the name Bras d'Or came from the Breton form of Bras 'd'eau arm of water or of the sea.

The Mi'kmaq Nation named it Pitu'pok, roughly translated as "long salt water".