Gulf of Kotor

Bay of Kotor Boka Kotorska/Бока Которска
Geographic region of Montenegro
Relief map
View over Bay of Kotor
Country	Montenegro
Towns	Kotor, Herceg Novi, Tivat, Budva, Risan, Dobrota, Perast, Prčanj

Part of the Bay of Kotor is included in the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location	Montenegro
Criteria	i, ii, iii, iv
Reference	125
Coordinates	42°26′N 18°38′E / 42.43°N 18.63°E / 42.43; 18.63
Inscription	1979 (3rd Session)
Extensions	1979–2003
Location of Bay of Kotor
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The Bay of Kotor (Serbian: Бока Которска/Boka Kotorska) pronounced [bɔ̂ka kɔ̂tɔrskaː]; Italian: Bocche di Cattaro), known simply as Boka ("the Bay"), is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro.

The bay has been inhabited since antiquity. Its well-preserved medieval towns of Kotor, Risan, Tivat, Perast, Prčanj and Herceg Novi, along with their natural surroundings, are major tourist attractions. Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor has been a World Heritage Site since 1979.

Its numerous Orthodox and Catholic churches and monasteries make it a major pilgrimage site.

A small naval port is under development as a yacht marina, Porto Montenegro.

The bay is about 28 km long with a shoreline extending 107.3 km. It is surrounded by two massifs of the Dinaric Alps: the Orjen mountains to the west, and the Lovćen mountains to the east. The narrowest section of the bay, the 2300 m long Verige Strait, is only 340 m wide at its narrowest point. The bay is a ria of the vanished Bokelj River that used to run from the high mountain plateaus of Mount Orjen.

The bay is composed of several smaller broad bays, united by narrower channels. The bay inlet was formerly a river system. Tectonic and karstification processes led to the disintegration of this river. After heavy rains the waterfall of Sopot spring at Risan appears, and Škurda, another well-known spring runs through a canyon from Lovćen.