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Port of Virginia
The deep natural harbor of Hampton Roads
The Port of Virginia is centered on Hampton Roads, one of the world's great natural deep-water harbors, where the James, Elizabeth, and other rivers empty into the lower Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk. Naturally deep and ice-free, it handles container ships, coal exports, and shares the waters with the largest naval base in the world at Norfolk.
The harbor's depth lets it take the biggest container vessels without the dredging many East Coast ports require, and it serves as a major gateway for cargo moving by rail into the interior. The name "Hampton Roads" refers to the safe anchorage (a "roadstead") at the bay's mouth.