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The Great Barrier Reef: A Very Brief History
The great barrier reef is the largest coral structure in the world. Taking up about 133 thousand square miles is just one of the amazing things about this intense reef off the coast off Queensland in Australia.  In 1981, the great barrier reef was named a World Heritage Site. It was labeled one of the 7 natural wonders of the world by CNN. It was named a state icon of Queensland by the Queensland National Trust. The reef is home to over 8000 species of animals and more than 2000 plant species. The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is divided into 70 bioregions, of which 30 are reef bioregions. There are no atolls on the reef system, and in the northern region there are ribbon reefs and deltaic reefs. In the southern regions, there is a lot of fringing reefs.

The reef was made by tiny organisms called coral polyps. The first evidence of reef structure was 600,000 years ago. From 20,000 years ago to 6,000 years ago, the sea level has been rising. As it rose, the coral could grow onto higher hills that, before the rise of sea level, were above the ocean. It is estimated that the present-day living reef is around 6,000-8,000 years old.

Some of the exotic fish found in the great barrier reef.

One of the many islands in the reef system.

More islands. You can see how clear the water is.