Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef – a place bursting with life and colour.

The Great Barrier Reef is a coral reef located along the coast of Australia’s Queensland, in the Coral Sea.
The Great Barrier Reef covers an area of 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 square miles) and spans a distance of 2300 kilometres (1400 miles).
The Great Barrier Reef is the home to approximately 3000 separate coral reefs and approximately 900 islands and cays (an island made of sand and coral deposits), some of which contain resorts for tourists.
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef, as well as the largest biological built structure on earth.
The Great Barrier Reef is the home to numerous marine species, including approximately 600 coral species, 30 dolphin and whale species, 500 worm species, 133 ray and shark species, 3000 mollusc species, 1625 fish species and 100 jellyfish species, as well as crocodiles, dugongs, marine turtles and sea snakes.

Since 1985, it is believed that half of the coral in the Great Barrier Reef has been destroyed, and it is said that climate change, over-fishing, pollution, tourism, diseases and shipping mishaps continue to cause damage.
The Great Barrier Reef is of significant importance to numerous tribes of indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders who have lived in the area for thousands of years.
The Great Barrier Reef is visited by approximately 2 million people annually, with an estimated tourism value of $6.4 billion.
The Great Barrier Reef became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, and has been part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park ever since it was established in 1975.
Visitors to the Great Barrier Reef commonly engage in activities like snorkelling, sailing, fishing and scuba diving, and other activities include viewing the reef through glass bottomed boats, whale watching and scenic tours.

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