Great Barrier Reef facts: a giant reef full of life

The Great Barrier Reef facts start with scale: this coral system is the world’s largest, and it can be seen from outer space. It stretches from Torres Strait in the north to the unnamed passage between Lady Elliot Island and Fraser Island in the south, making it one of the most recognizable natural places on Earth.

What is the Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system. Its living reef structure is believed to have begun growing about 9,000 years ago, forming the vast ocean landscape people know today. The reef was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981, and in 2006 the Queensland National Trust named it a state icon of Queensland.

Who first mapped and named the reef?

James Cook was the first European to discover the Great Barrier Reef in 1770. More than 30 years later, Matthew Flinders mapped it in 1802 and gave it the name Great Barrier Reef. Those two dates mark the reef’s entry into European navigation history, first as a discovery and later as a named and mapped feature.

Why is the reef so well known?

CNN labelled the reef one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World in 1997. That recognition joined its World Heritage status and its Queensland state icon title, making it a place identified not only for size but also for cultural and natural importance. Its long sweep along Australia’s northeast coast also helped make it instantly recognizable on maps and in travel images.

What lives on the Great Barrier Reef?

The reef supports an extraordinary diversity of life, including many vulnerable or endangered species. More than 1,500 fish species live on the reef, six species of sea turtles come there to breed, and about 5,000 species of mollusc have been recorded there. Those numbers show why the reef is known as an ecosystem packed with different kinds of marine life.

How has the reef changed over time?

The Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 requires an Outlook Report every five years, and the most recent one was published in 2019. That legal reporting cycle provides a regular way to track the reef’s condition over time while the reef remains a major natural landmark.

The Great Barrier Reef brings together size, history, and biodiversity in one place. If you’ve read this far, you’re ready to test your great barrier reef facts in the quiz.