Ferry is a boat used to carry people, vehicles, and cargo across narrow bodies of water. Most large ferries have a large opening at each end so they can be loaded and unloaded without being turned around.
People have used ferries for thousands of years. Early ferries included rafts and small boats that were rowed, sailed, paddled, or moved by poles across water. Many ferries were guided by cables stretched between shores, and were pulled by ferry workers on the shore of destination.
Some cable-guided ferries are pushed by motorboats. Most large ferries in use today are powered by their own engines.
Bridges and tunnels have replaced many ferries. But ferries still operate in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas, between Manhattan and Staten islands in the New York area, and in other places around the world.
