Fast+Facts

**The Great Barrier Reef was discovered in 1770 by Captain James Cook. He was on a voyage around the southern hemisphere, and happened upon the GBR. He first noticed the increase in sea life, as multiple colored fish swam by his boat. This sparked interest in James, so he finished his voyage quickly, and then later returned to the reef to further explore its contents. This was the beginning of a new type of beauty. The Great Barrier Reef.** **What makes the Great Barrier Reef so spectacular? Well, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the 7 Great Wonders of the World. The GBR is the worlds largest and most complex single living structure made of living organisms. It is longer than than the Great Wall of China, and it is the only thing living on Earth that can be seen from outer space. I would call this more than spectacular! **  media type="youtube" key="wbNeIn3vVKM" height="349" width="425" align="center"

 ** The Great Barrier Reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, in north-east Australia. It is 2,300 km long, 24 km wide in the north, and 240 km wide in the south. However, the GBR is not one single reef. It is made up of over 2,900 individual reef systems, all linked together to form the GBR. Overall the GBR takes up over 350,000 square kilometers of water in the South Pacific Ocean. **       <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-size: 120%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of this area is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The Marin Park was established in 1975, and later opened tourist sites specifically for people to view, and experience more of the reef. Then, in 1981 the reef became a World Heritage Area. This means that Australia now has the obligation to protect and conserve the reef for the future generations. ** <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-size: 120%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back **