Give me information about "The great barrier Reaf " with Images
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The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
Answer:
A brief introduction about the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef, complex of coral reefs, shoals, and islets in the Pacific Ocean off the northeastern coast of Australia that is the longest and largest reef complex in the world. The Great Barrier Reef extends in roughly a northwest-southeast direction for more than 1,250 miles (2,000 km), at an offshore distance ranging from 10 to 100 miles (16 to 160 km), and has an area of some 135,000 square miles (350,000 square km). It has been characterized, somewhat inaccurately, as the largest structure ever built by living creatures.
How was it formed?
The Great Barrier Reef that we know today actually sits on what is the remains of the sediments of the Great Dividing Range, a huge mountain system. Corals began to form around the base of these mountains, which at the time were continental islands. Once sea levels began to rise, the growth of coral began to creep up the mountains, which were eventually completely submerged, leaving behind small islands, barrier reefs and atolls that we know and see today. The Whitsunday Islands, for example, are the remains of mountain tops that once towered over the region which are now surrounded by fringing reefs.
It is said that the reef dates back as much as twenty million years ago, with an ever-changing landscape and coastline. It has moved and morphed over the years and was first encountered by humans 40,000 years ago when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples settled in the area. The current reef is about 6,000 to 8,000 years old and was formed after the last ice age began to recede and water levels and temperatures rapidly changed.
Why is The Great Barrier Reef so special?
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the planet’s most extraordinary natural wonders, its largest coral reef system, and the only living organism that can be spotted from space. It’s bigger than the UK. Indeed this phenomenon is bigger than the UK, Holland, and Switzerland combined. It’s an unutterably unique wonderland, unlike anywhere else on the planet, that offers world-class experiences you just cannot find anywhere else.
Protecting the reef (there are actually almost 3,000 sections) is essential given its remarkable ecosystem and myriad marine life. In recent years efforts to preserve coral have started to bear fruit, helping secure the future of 1,500 species of fish, more than 200 bird species, and 30 species of whale and dolphin. As Africa sports, its “big five”, so the Great Barrier Reef has its “Great Eight”. We are talking the big hitters – turtles, manta rays, sharks, and whales – but also less heralded, but no less captivating, creatures: clownfish, potato cod, giant clams, and Maori wrasse.
2 fun facts about The Great Barrier Reef
You can find a third of the world’s coral here!
November is coral spawning season!
