BOTANY BAY, a spacious bay on the east coast of Australia, New South Wales, 5 miles south of Sydney, in Lat. 34. S. Long. 157. E. It was discovered by Captain Cook in 1770, and named from the profusion of then unknown plants found on its shores. The bay is about 5 miles in length and breadth, but the entrance is little more than a mile across. See AUSTRALIA.