Stephanie Bevans, age 12, of New Bedford, Mass., for her question:

WHO DISCOVERED CAPE COD?

Cape Cod is a peninsula in southeastern Massachusetts that is crossed at its base by the Cape Cod Canal. The cape is surrounded by Cape Cod Bay to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Nantucket Sound to the south and Buzzards Bay to the southwest. Cape Cod was discovered and named in 1602 by the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who was impressed by the abundance of codfish in the surrounding waters.

In shape, the cape resembles a flexed arm. It extends eastward about 35 miles and then northward about 30 miles. The width varies from about 20 miles between the towns of Sandwich and Woods Hole at the neck to a few hundred meters at the tip near Provincetown.

The cape is sandy, hilly and thickly forested in spots and contains many lakes and ponds. Cape Cod is well known as a summer resort and has excellent facilities for swimming, boating and fishing.

Cranberries are the chief agricultural crop on Cape Cod.

The cape has a number of famous lighthouses including Chatham Light at Chatham and Cape Cod Light at Truro.