Great Barrier Reef Facts - Explore the Wonders

By William G Dains
The Great Barrier Reef Facts are as astounding as the actual reef itself. There's so much wonder and amusing information about it that so many people have become so passionate about this great Australian natural wonder. It's vast marine life, its sun-kissed beaches, it's warm turquoise waters and all the unforgettable memories, experiences, and wonders waiting for those who visit.

Perhaps out of all of Australia's natural gifts, the Barrier Reef is the most remarkable of them all. It's the world's largest coral reef. This reef contains an abundance of marine life and comprises of over 3000 individual coral cays and reef systems and literally hundreds and hundreds of picturesque tropical islands with some of the world's most beautiful sun-soaked, golden beaches.

Not surprisingly, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world. And so, pulling back and taking a look at it, from a distance, one would easily understand why. It is considered to be larger than the Great Wall of China; and was claimed to be the only living thing on earth that's visible from space. This magnificent reef actually stretches over 2,600 kilometers.

Tourism earned from the Reef earn over AU$ 4-5 billion per year; making it a very lucrative source of external income. It has thirty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises have been recorded in the reef as well. It was also studied that six species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed.

And about bird life, there are 215 species of birds. This includes 22 species of seabirds, and 32 species of shorebirds that visit the reef or nest or roost on the islands. Aside from that, there are 17 species of sea snakes that live and flourish in the Great Barrier Reef. There are over 1,500 species of fish that live on the reef. There are also at least 330 species of ascidians on the reef system.

Great Barrier Reef towns include Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Mckay, Bundaberg, and Maryborough have a sense of individuality that made them independent centers which do not rely on Brisbane. This is all located in Queensland, which is unique amongst the Australian states because it has a huge number of genuine coastal capitals.

Back in 2006, there were approximately 820 operators and 1500 vessels and aircraft permitted to operate in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park providing the ease of access for everyone to experience the Great Barrier Reef and learn about its Natural wonders and breathtaking World Heritage values.

Another interesting Great Barrier Reef fact is that it's a breeding area for humpback whales, migrating from the Antarctic and is also the habitat of a few endangered species including the Dugong or the Sea Cow and the large Green Sea Turtle. In recognition to its significance, the Great Barrier Reef was declared as a World Heritage Site in the year 1981.

A closer encounter with the Great Barrier Reef's impressive coral gardens reveal a lot of astounding marine life attractions which include the world's largest collection of corals (easily over 400 corals as a matter of fact). It also includes mollusks, stingrays, sponges, dolphins, over 1500 species of fish, over 200 types of birds, around 20 types of reptiles including sea turtles and giant clams over 120 years old.