The Interesting Great Barrier Reef is the world’s most extensive coral reef system and has some of the richest biological diversity on Earth. This facts sheet provides a description of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area extends over 2 000 kilometres and covers 348 000 km2 on the north-east continental shelf of Australia. As the world’s most extensive coral reef system, it is one of the best known marine protected areas. The Great Barrier Reef’s diversity reflects the maturity of the ecosystem which has evolved over many thousands of years.
The Great Barrier Reef stretches more than 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) a little more than the distance from Boston to Miami. It covers an area of 133,000 square miles (344,400 square km), reaching from the Torres Strait at it northernmost point to Fraser Island in the south. The reef includes Lady Elliot Island and the smaller Murray islands.
- UNESCO designated the Great Barrier Reef a World Heritage Site in 1981.
- The Great Barrier Reef is famed for its biodiversity, and is home to 1625 species of fish, 600 different soft and hard corals, 3000 kinds of molluscs, 133 varieties of sharks and rays, as well as many more.
- The Reef is home to six of the world’s seven species of turtles Loggerhead, Leatherback, Olive Ridley, Green, Flatback, and Hawksbill turtles. The only species not found in the Great Barrier Reef is the Kemp’s Ridley turtle, which is primarily found in the Gulf of Mexico.
- A common misunderstanding is that the Great Barrier Reef is just one reef. It is not. In facts, it is made up of 3000 individual reefs.
- The Great Barrier Reef stretches 2300 kilometres (1429 miles), and covers an area roughly equivalent to the size of Japan, making it visible from outer space. Its current form is between 6,000 to 8,000 years old.
- There are 1500 species of fish on the Great Barrier Reef. The oldest fish on the reef is the Red Bass who can live for 50 years. The largest fish is the Whale Shark who can grow to a bit over 39 feet long (12m) long.
- If turtle eggs are laid in warm, dark sand the hatchlings are mainly female (girl) turtles. Cooler, lighter sand produces mainly male (boy) turtles.
- There are 6 species of Turtles that lay their eggs in the coral sands of the Great Barrier Reef Green, Hawksbill, Leatherback, Loggerhead, Flatback and Olive Ridley. Turtles can live for a 100 years.
- There are 14 species of sea snakes swimming around the Great Barrier Reef. They must come to the surface every 2 hours to breathe.
- There are 500 species of seaweed living on the Great Barrier Reef. adventurous travel.