Great Barrier Reef Facts

A list of quick yet important facts on key aspects of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef is a complex and diverse ecosystem that has many factors that help set it apart from many other similar coral reefs throughout the world. Here are some of the key facts and statistics that cover the Great Barrier Reef.
Some quick-hitting facts about the Great Barrier Reef that you may not already know:

Great Barrier Reef Facts & Figures:

  • The Great Barrier Reef is classed as the single largest living organism in the world, spanning a total distance of over 2300km from the Torres Strait in the North to Bundaberg in the South
  • The Great Barrier Reef is comprised of over 900 individual islands
  • The widest sections of the Great Barrier Reef reach over 65 kilometres at their largest areas
  • Over 1500 species of tropical Fish, 400 different types of Coral, 200 types of Birds and 20 types of Reptiles are just some of the lifeforms which inhabit the reef
  • The Great Barrier Reef is one of the few Australian features that can be seen from space
  • The Great Barrier Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage area and listed as one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World”
  • The Great Barrier Reef covers an overall area that is larger than the size of Italy
  • The Great Barrier Reef draws over a million international visitors each year
  • In terms of the Australian economy, the Great Barrier Reef alone generates over 6 billion dollars worth of revenue per year
  • The depth of the reef ranges from depths of 35 metres inshore to depths of 2000 metres on the outer reef.
  • Around 10 percent of the world’s total fish species can be found just within the Great Barrier Reef T
  • The coral of the Great Barrier Reef has gradually been destroyed in recent years by a pest known as the Crown of Thorns Seastar, a marine organism that eats Coral Polyps

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