Legal Definitions - fauces terrae

FAUCES TERRAE

Fauces terrae is a Latin term that means "narrow passage of the land." It refers to a body of water that is partially enclosed by land and experiences tides. This can include inlets, rivers, harbors, creeks, bays, basins, and other similar bodies of water.

• Chesapeake Bay
• San Francisco Bay
• Puget Sound

These examples illustrate fauces terrae because they are all bodies of water that are partially enclosed by land and experience tides. Chesapeake Bay is an estuary that is partially enclosed by Maryland and Virginia. San Francisco Bay is a large inlet that is partially enclosed by the city of San Francisco and other surrounding areas. Puget Sound is a complex system of interconnected waterways that is partially enclosed by the Olympic Peninsula and the mainland of Washington state.