Joanna James
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world and is one of the most admirable landmarks in the whole of Australia. This impressive natural marvel attracts hordes of tourists from all over the world. The Great Barrier Reef has it all, from its golden sandy beaches and an incredible collection of reefs, corals cays and tropical islands. Here is a list of some fascinating facts about the Great Barrier Reef.
This is the largest natural structure in the world today. How large? You can even see it from outer space! The magnificent reef system stretches for around 2300 kilometres within which it houses hundreds of tropical islands and thousands of reefs! There is plenty of accommodation around the Great Barrier Reef which you can stay at to explore the magnificent reef. You can arrange day trips to the reef from hotels in Gladstone the likes of the Oaks Grand Gladstone.
The Great Barrier Reef has been alive for as long as man can remember. The Reef is meant to be around 20,000,0000 years old!
It was mentioned before that the impressive reef can be witnessed from out of space which means it must be a massive structure, right? So how massive? It is thought to be the size of Victoria and Tasmania combined! That's pretty much combining 70 million football fields!
The Great Barrier Reef is a proud mother of some incredible coral reefs. Within it, you can find around 600 different types of hard coral and soft coral. Visitors can expect an incredible array of coral to view.
The Great Barrier Reef is not only restricted to viewing coral but so much more. The reef is home to a range of animals including the sea turtles, seahorses, giant clams, sea snakes, stingrays, sharks and much more. The reef houses around 215 bird species, 6 turtle species, 17 sea snake's species and more than 1,500 different species of fish alone! You can find around 10 per cent of the world's fish species in the Great Barrier Reef.
A large number of tourists come to Australia to witness this incredible reef. Tourists from many parts of the world come to explore the Great Barrier. Locals from all over Australia also come to see and experience the reef first-hand. Statistics highlight that around 2,000,0000 people visit the Great Barrier Reef every year.
The reef has to be cared for as there are many looming threats that can deteriorate the reef. The biggest threat being climate change which results in the increase of temperature of the ocean waters. This, unfortunately, is quite detrimental to corals and can result in coral bleaching. Moreover, industrial runoffs, and other agricultural and pesticide pollution can also affect the reef.
The Great Barrier Reef can be visited through the year and remains impeccably beautiful. However, the stinger season is from November to May make sure to wear a stinger suit when getting into the water.
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