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Introduction Norfolk, Virginia, one of the world's largest and busiest port cities and is surrounded by the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and is located 18 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean and nearly 200 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. Norfolk is the financial and legal center of southeastern Virginia. It is in Norfolk that the infamous Merrimac sea vessel was converted to the ironclad Virginiaand where the National Maritime Center today recognizes the waterlogged character of this culturally and historically rich community.
Norfolk is situated at the mouth of the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond rivers. Within the city the land is low and level.
Winter in Norfolk is mild and sunny and summer is moderated by the cool breezes off the Atlantic Ocean. Extreme climate is rare in Norfolk and the National Weather Service has ranked Norfolk's climate as "one of the most desirable in the nation."
Area: 53.73 square miles of land; 42.58 square miles of water; 96.30 square miles total area (2000)
Elevation: 13 feet above sea level
Latitude: 36.89 N
Longitude: 76.26 W
Average Temperatures: January, 40° F; July, 79° F; annual average, 59.57° F;
Average Annual Precipitation: 43.89 inches total; 7.5 inches of snowfall
Population: 231,954 as on 2005
Attractions: * Naval Station Norfolk
* Nauticus, the National Maritime Center
* Armed Forces Memorial
* Hermitage Foundation Museum
* Virginia Zoological Park
* Norfolk Botanical Gardens
Festivals * Virginia in Water Boat Expo
* Norfolk Seafood Sampler
* Beach Music Festival
* International Azalea Festival
* Virginia International Tattoo
* Cinco de Mayo Celebration