<P> The Outer Banks (OBX) is a 200 - mile - long (320 km) string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States . They cover most of the North Carolina coastline, separating the Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound, and Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean . The Outer Banks are a major tourist destination and are known around the world for their subtropical climate and wide expanse of open beachfront . The Cape Hatteras National Seashore has four campgrounds open to visitors . The treacherous seas off the Outer Banks and the large number of shipwrecks that have occurred there have given these seas the nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic . The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is located in Hatteras Village near a United States Coast Guard facility and the Hatteras ferry . </P> <P> The English Roanoke Colony--where Virginia Dare was born--vanished from Roanoke Island in 1587 . The Lost Colony, written and performed to commemorate the original colonists, is the second longest running outdoor drama in the United States and its theater acts as a cultural focal point for much of the Outer Banks . </P>

What are the outer banks in north carolina