Concept
Conception Bay (CB) is a bay on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The population (in 2011) of people living in municipalities (or unincorporated census subdivisions) located along the coast of Conception Bay was 90,490 making it one of the most densely populated areas of the province. Conception Bay is adjacent to the St. John's Metropolitan Area which contains 5 of the 10 largest settlements in the province and is home to over 200,000 people. The smaller communities in Newfoundland may often be referenced by the Bay in which they are located, e.g.: 'Port de Grave, CB'. The bay indents the Avalon Peninsula, opening towards the Atlantic Ocean at its northeast. It is bounded by Cape St. Francis in the south and Split Point near Bay de Verde in the north. It has a maximum depth of 300 metres (980 ft). Conception Bay covers an area of 1295 square kilometres and contains several islands, the three largest being Bell Island, Little Bell Island and Kellys Island. The Bay is fed by rivers from its east and west, which flow on into the Atlantic Ocean. In 1501 and 1502, the Corte-Real brothers explored and charted Greenland and what is today the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, claiming these lands as part of the Portuguese Empire. The name Conception Bay comes from the Portuguese Baía da Conceição ("Bay of the Conception") and was presumably given in honour of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8. The name first appears on the Oliveriana (Pesaro) map of around 1504–1505. Conception Bay was the site of Britaniola Colony, established in 1610. It was the site of Sea-Forest Plantation founded in 1610 and Bristol's Hope Plantation founded in 1619. During the 1610s, the Bay was the hideout of the infamous Newfoundland based buccaneer, Peter Easton. Artifacts from the 17th-century planter era through the 19th century have been found, such as Spanish coins, one minted in Peru. There was trade between Newfoundland and Bilbao during the 17th century.