Great Barrier Reef

Comments

Great Barrier Reef from air
16.192222°S 145.760200°E

Quicksilver floating island
16.040300°S 145.858517°E

The Quicksilver floating island which allows tourists to snorkel and dive along the reef and view the reef from their glass bottom observation point.

Closeup of coral on the Great Barrier Reef
16.038553°S 145.867878°E

Great Barrier Reef from air
16.036114°S 145.865756°E

The Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland Australia is home to the largest coral reef in the world, known as the Great Barrier Reef.

The reef is comprised of 2,900 individual reefs spanning 1,600 miles (2,600 km). The Great Barrier Reef is so large it is visible from outer space, and is host to numerous forms of life. Coral polyps make up the reef and are actually living organisms. Fifteen hundred fish species, six species of sea turtles, thirty species of whales, and 125 species of sharks or other chimera live on the reef. This is only a fraction of the life forms that inhabit the area in and around the coral reef.

The indigenous peoples of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands have revered the coral reef as a significant part of their culture for generations. These indigenous people have inhabited Australia for at least 50,000 years fishing and hunting on the reef.

Tourists have been visiting the reef since the days when Captain Cook shipwrecked on it and had to strategically navigate his ship through the reef to open waters. Today tourists come from all over the globe to see this reef that CNN named as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Tourism related to the reef is a substantial part of the local economy and poses a conflict among those who are in charge of its care. Some believe that the reef is hurt by the large number of visitors, divers, and fishermen each year. Thus, much of it is now protected by The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.