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One of the most biodiverse places in the world.

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9y ago
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9y ago
  • The Great Barrier Reef lies off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
  • It is in the Coral Sea.
  • It is the world's largest living organism and visible from space.
  • The Great Barrier Reef is around 2300km long.
  • It stretches from just south of Papua New Guinea down to near Hervey Bay.
  • The reef is not a single reef, but comprises around 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands.
  • The Crown of Thorns Starfish is a serious ecological threat to the reef.
  • The Great Barrier Reef was awarded the status of a World Heritage Site in 1981.
  • there are over 1 500 species of fish in the reef.
  • The first European explorer to discover the reef was James Cook, who ran aground on the reef in June 1770.
  • It runs virtually parallel to the coast of Queensland, Australia, for some 2300km, with its northern end just south of Papua New Guinea, and its southern end near Lady Elliott Island, northeast of the city of Bundaberg.
  • Some shark species of the Great Barrier Reef include the whale shark, grey nurse shark, great white shark, freshwater and green sawfish.
  • The Great Barrier Reef is visible from space.
  • It is larger than the Great Wall of China.
  • The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, which comprises more than just the coral reefs, atolls and islands of the Great Barrier Reef, covers around 348,000 sq km (134,363 sq miles) while the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park itself covers around 344,400 sq km.
  • Protected fish species include seahorses, pipefish, sea dragons, potato cod, Queensland grouper, barramundi cod and Maori wrasse.
  • Boating, swimming, sailing and snorkelling are all popular activities in many parts of the reef.
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12y ago
  • The Great Barrier Reef lies off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
  • It is in the Coral Sea.
  • It is the world's largest living organism and visible from space.
  • The Great Barrier Reef is around 2300km long.
  • It stretches from just south of Papua New Guinea down to near Hervey Bay.
  • The reef is not a single reef, but comprises around 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands.
  • The Great Barrier Reef was awarded the status of a World Heritage Site in 1981.
  • Over 1 500 species of fish in the reef.

    The first European explorer to discover the reef was James Cook, who ran aground on the reef in June 1770.

  • It runs virtually parallel to the coast of Queensland, Australia, for some 2300km, with its northern end just south of Papua New Guinea, and its southern end near Lady Elliott Island, northeast of the city of Bundaberg.
  • Some shark species of the Great Barrier Reef include the whale shark, grey nurse shark, great white shark, freshwater and green sawfish.
  • The Great Barrier Reef is visible from space.
  • It is larger than the Great Wall of China.
  • The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, which comprises more than just the coral reefs, atolls and islands of the Great Barrier Reef, covers around 348,000 sq km (134,363 sq miles) while the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park itself covers around 344,400 sq km.
  • Protected fish species include seahorses, pipefish, sea dragons, potato cod, Queensland grouper, barramundi cod and Maori wrasse.
  • Boating, swimming, sailing and snorkelling are all popular activities in many parts of the reef.
  • Around 40 species which live in and around the Great Barrier Reef are listed as endangered.

The Great Barrier Reef is under threat as it is known to be shrinking, but it is not known by how much. Climate scientists who subscribe to the theory of anthropogenic global warming (i.e. caused by man's activities) predict that the Great Barrier Reef may lose up to 95% of its coral by the middle of the current century. Although the coastline parallel to the Great Barrier Reef has been settled by Europeans for less then 200 years, these scientists believe that the Reef has been shrinking by 20% every 100 years.

Climate scientists who subscribe to the theory that global warming is cyclical perhaps have a less drastic view, as they believe that the coral will regenerate, as it has apparently done so in the past.

Pollution and chemical runoff also pose a very real threat to the reef. Mud and chemical runoff tend to limit the sunlight that reaches the coral, causing it to die off. The Crown of Thorns Starfish is also a serious ecological threat to the reef.

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13y ago

Firstly it supports a huge amount of marine life and provides an excellent habitat for many species.

Secondly the reefs prevent strong waves and currents from reaching the shores at full strength, preventing the erosion of the beaches.

Finally it is a popular tourist attraction and helps boost the country's economy

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10y ago

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system. It is located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is made up of more than 2900 coral reefs and 900 islands, and extends for about 2300 km parallel to the coastline.

The coral which makes up the Great Barrier reef is believed to extend to a depth of around 500m in some places. However, the living polyps only go down as far as 30 metres.

The water in the channel between the shoreline and the reef reaches about 60 metres in depth.

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10y ago

Some unique characteristics of the Great Barrier Reef is that it is not one continuous reef, but made up of over 2900 reefs and 900 islands. It is so large it is visible from the moon.

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12y ago

it is a really beautiful place with lots of culture

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12y ago

it is a sea

it has fish

it has coral at the bottom

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What are three ways people use the great barrier reef?

People use the Great Barrier Reef legally in the following ways:TourismFishingSnorkelling


What type of site is the Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef is a coral reef.


What is the proper name for the Great Barrier Reef?

The proper name for the Great Barrier Reef is simply "Great Barrier Reef".


Is Osprey Reef located on the Great Barrier Reef?

No. Although Osprey Reef is in the Coral Sea, where the Great Barrier Reef is located, it is actually separate from the Great Barrier Reef.


What is an example of an ecosystem in the Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef is a coral reef ecosystem.


Is the Great Barrier Reef the largest reef in the world?

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world.


How does the Great Barrier Reef meet criteria?

The great barrier reef is awesome


When was the Great Barrier Reef destroyed?

The Great Barrier Reef has not been destroyed


What are the three largest coral reefs in the world?

The great barrier reef in north eastern Australia is definitely the largest! The Belize barrier reef and the Florida barrier reef are 2 and 3 respectively.


What is the largest coral reef in the world?

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef.


When did the Great Barrier Reef get it name?

The Great Barrier Reef was named by Matthew Flinders, the first explorer to circumnavigate the Australian continent.The Great Barrier Reef is a coral reef placed into the category of 'barrier reef'. This means that the reef is separated from the coastline due to the water's depth being too deep. The reef was given its name because of the following.Great: The Great Barrier Reef is a large and vast coral reef: at 2000km long, it is the largest coral reef in the world.Barrier: The Great Barrier Reef is a barrier reef. A barrier reef is one which runs parallel to the shore, separated by a channel of water.Reef: The Great Barrier Reef is a coral reef.


What is the Great Barrier Reef usually known as?

The Great Barrier Reef is always known as the Great Barrier Reef. It has no other name, although it may sometimes be shortened to just "the Reef".