Haifa Bay

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Haifa Bay
Haifa Bay

Haifa Bay (Hebrew: מפרץ חיפה‎, Mifratz Haifa) is a small bay along the Mediterranean coast of Northern Israel. Fed by the Kishon River, the cities of Haifa and Acre mark its southern and northern capes, while its centre is lined with dunes and the suburban Krayot neighbourhoods. Mount Carmel rises from the southern edge, while the mountains of the Western Galilee run up to the shore at the northern boundary.

Haifa Bay is Israel's only natural harbor on the Mediterranean, though the country has a man-made harbor at Ashdod and a Red Sea outlet at Eilat.

Haifa Bay is home to a bustling industrial zone, housing many shore-based oil refineries and chemical plants, including Haifa refinery. These have caused much pollution to the bay, and are often blamed for an increased disease rate in the surrounding communities.[1] The Kishon River is also quite polluted. The huge, twin 76 meter towers of the Bazan company have become a nationally recognized icon for the city.