The World's Largest Coral Reef System: Australia's Great Barrier Reef (Transparent and Clear Marine Wild Kingdom)

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest and longest coral reef system in the world, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and a source of pride for Australians. It is also commonly referred to as the 'Transparent and Clear Marine Wild Kingdom'.

Geography

The Great Barrier Reef is located east of Queensland, Australia, between the Babarra Bay and the Tropic of Capricorn, in the Western Coral Sea of the Pacific Ocean, stretching along the Australian northeast coast on the continental shelf, from the Torres Strait to the north to the Fraser Island in the south, extending along the Australian northeast coastline for more than 2000 kilometers, with a width of 20-240 kilometers east to west.

The Great Barrier Reef consists of more than 3000 different stages of coral reefs, coral islands, shoals and lagoons, a wonder to behold (another source: the Great Barrier Reef includes approximately 2900 coral cays). This is the world's most beautiful and largest coral reef system, with an area of 20.7 million square kilometers (another source: an area of 8 million square kilometers). It is arranged in a chain-like manner in the north, with a width of 16 to 20 kilometers; in the south, it is scattered with a width of up to 240 kilometers.

Water

There are about 600 islands in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef, of which Green Island, Cairns Island, Magnetic Island, Hamilton Island, Lindeman Island, Lizard Island, Fitzroy Island are more well-known. Some of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef are actually submerged peaks of mountains. When viewed over the Great Barrier Reef, it is like a green gem blossoming in the surging sea. These featured islands have now been developed into tourist areas, attracting countless tourists every year.

Climate

The Great Barrier Reef belongs to the tropical climate, mainly influenced by the southern hemisphere airflows. Due to the favorable natural conditions here, with no strong winds and waves, it has become a habitat for various fish species, and tourists can see different marine rare animals in different months, providing a feast for the eyes.

Residents

Besides the Aboriginal people, white Australians also live in nearby islands. The tourism industry here is very developed and has become an important source of income. From ancient times to the present, especially the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef has had a significant impact on the culture of the indigenous people on the northwest coast and the Torres Strait Islands. In addition, there are more than 30 famous historical sites and stone art galleries for viewing, dating back to 1791.

History

The Great Barrier Reef formed during the Middle Jurassic period, with a history of 250 million years. Its area is still expanding. It is formed after the sea level rose to its current position after the last ice age one million years ago.

The Great Barrier Reef is considered the most beautiful 'decoration' on earth, like a dazzling gemstone with sky-blue, indigo, blue and pure white light, even visible from the moon. However, the European people who witnessed the Great Barrier Reef for the first time did not use rich vocabulary to describe its beauty, which is quite puzzling, as most of them were sailors, they may have thought of other things and ignored the beauty of nature.

In 1606, Spanish explorer Torres was attacked by a storm at the northern end of Queensland and passed through the Torres Strait to visit it. In 1770, the British ship 'Endeavour' ran aground between the reef and the mainland, and Captain Cook stayed there. In 1789, Captain Bligh led the 'Bounty' to pass through the rapids and rocky shoals and arrived at the calm waters.

Botanist Banks on the 'Endeavour' was astonished to see the Great Barrier Reef, he wrote: 'We have just passed through a reef in Europe and the rest of the world which has never been seen before, but here we have seen a coral wall, standing in the boundless ocean'.' The 'coral wall' seen by Banks is the largest living coral body in the world. It is unique in the world.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most vibrant and complete ecosystems. But its balance is the most fragile. If threatened in one aspect, it will be a disaster for the entire system. The Great Barrier Reef can withstand attacks from strong winds and waves. In the 20th century, the biggest threat came from modern humans, indigenous people have been fishing and hunting here for centuries, but they have not caused any damage to the Great Barrier Reef. In the 20th century, due to the exploitation of bird droppings, large-scale sea urchin trade and pearl fishing occurred, which caused damage to the Great Barrier Reef.