The Great Barrier Reef, World’s Largest Coral Reef System

The Great Barrier Reef is considered the world’s largest coral reef system and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms, the coral polyps. It is so large that it can be seen from outer space.

Located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is composed of more than 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 1,600 miles over an area of approximately 133,000 sq miles. The Great Barrier Reef supports a wide diversity of marine life.