 Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef, covering over 350,000 square kilometres of the sea off the Tropical North Queensland Coast of Australia in the Coral Sea.
The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral formation in the world, extends northward nearly to Papua New Guinea, from its southernmost outpost at Lady Elliott Island a distance of 2300 kilometres It is not a single continuous reef but a vast assemblage of reefs, shoals and islands.
The outer barrier reef approximately follows the edge of the continental shelf (100-fathom line) it varies from 32 km to 260 km off the coast of Queensland. The huge lagoon area it protects, which is generally less than 60 metres in depth, contains many inner reefs and islands, some of them high islands of continental origin. To the east lies the Coral Sea, rimed on the north by Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and to the east by Vanuatu and New Caledonia. It contains a few scattered reefs which rise from depths of 700 to 1800 m. The clarity of the sea at these reefs is exceptional, making them popular destinations for dive boats from Queensland.
The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage listed site and is listed as one of the seven Natural Wonders of the world.
Believed to be the densest assemblage of living organisms to be found in any comparable area in the world.
On average the Great Barrier Reef is about 40 metres deep.
A large part of the Great Barrier Reef is a World Hertigage listed National Park, protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
The Great Barrier Reef have, been for centuries, been bountiful providers of fish, shellfish, and crustaceans to local inhabintants. In some communities , shells have also been a source of currency, while in many places a lack of stone has resulted in the use of shells and coral as building materials
In recent times, the reefs have been exploited c ommercially hor beche-de-met, trochus shell and reef fish. Tourism , a fast developing industry is very much dependent upon the reef for its future livelihood
Coral skeleton deposits date back over half a million years have been found by the Reef Research Centre a cooperative Reseach Centre. Corals have been growing on the Great Barrier Reef for as long as 25 million years.
According to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the current living reef structure is believed to have begun growing on a older platform about 20,000 years ago. The Australian Institute of Marine Sciences agrees, which places the beginning of the growth of the current Great Barrier Reef at the time of the last Glacial Maximum.
At around that time, the sea was 120 metres (394 feet) lower than it is today. The land that formed the substrate of the Great Barrier Reef was a coastal plain with some larger hills some of which were remnants of older reefs.
 Marine Biologists studying corals on the Great Barrier Reef have recently discovered that most growth occurs at around sunset and seems to last for another two or three hours.
The Great Barrier Reef has always held a special fascination for humans. Diving and snorkelling is an outstanding way to view the amazing fish and coral on the Great Barrier Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef supports a huge diversity of life, including many vulnerable endangered species and some which may be endemic to the Great Barrier Reef.
More information on the Great Barrier Reef.
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