Spanning 2,300km along the Queensland coast, the Great Barrier Reef’s 3,000 coral reef systems contain a huge diversity of marine plants and animals, such as sea turtles, reef fish, sharks, hard and soft corals and migrating whales.
Our Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system and the biggest living structure on the planet, representing about 10% of all the world’s coral reefs. It is one of the world’s seven natural wonders and a prized World Heritage Area.
Spanning 2,300km along the Queensland coast, and sprawling a massive 344,400 square kilometres, the Great Barrier Reef’s 3,000 coral reef systems, 600 tropical islands and about 300 coral cays, contain a huge diversity of marine plants and animals, such as sea turtles, reef fish, sharks, rays, hard and soft corals, and migrating whales. Home to such amazing biodiversity the Great Barrier Reef is vital to the health of Australia’s oceans — and our planet.
The Reef supports a $6 billion tourism industry, supports 69,000 jobs, recreational and commercial fishing, and represents a unique way of life for coastal communities along the Reef coast.