WhereIsAtlas · Australia

Where Is the Great Barrier Reef?

The world's largest coral reef — a 2,300 km living structure off Australia's coast, under pressure from a warming sea.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world, stretching about 2,300 kilometers off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is hugely biodiverse but under serious threat from coral bleaching driven by rising ocean temperatures.

The largest living structure

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world — a vast, living structure in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Queensland, Australia. It stretches roughly 2,300 kilometers, one of the most remarkable natural features on the planet.

Where it is

The reef extends from south of Papua New Guinea to just north of Fraser Island, covering an area of about 344,400 square kilometers. It is not a single reef but a system of nearly 3,000 individual reefs and around 900 islands.

Why it matters

The reef supports an extraordinary range of marine life, including well over a thousand species of fish, and is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a global symbol of marine conservation.

The threat

The Great Barrier Reef is under serious and intensifying pressure. Rising ocean temperatures have triggered repeated mass coral bleaching events, which can kill large swaths of coral. Combined with pollution, cyclones and climate change, the reef's health has become one of the most closely watched environmental issues of the modern era.

Where the reef is now

The Great Barrier Reef is still there — the largest and most famous reef on Earth. But it is changing, and its future depends on global action on climate and water quality. For a 'where is it' answer, it lies along Australia's Queensland coast; for a 'what's happening' answer, it is on the front line of the climate crisis.

Sources