The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world. It is located off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It stretches over 2600 km, Bundaberg at the cutting edge of Cape York. Covering an area of 350000 sq km, it can be seen from space. In comparison, Germany has an area of 357000 square kilometers. The Great Barrier Reef has more than 2000 islands and reefs around 3000 of all kinds. It can be seen near the coast, but the most spectacular are located some 50 km from the sea. It is inscribed on the World Heritage list of UNESCO.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth. It is sometimes called the greatest living animal in the world. In fact it is made of many coral colonies. Due to its vast biodiversity, its warmth, clear waters and its accessibility, the Great Barrier Reef is a very popular destination for scuba divers. For Australians, thousands of islands, islets and atolls make that the Great Barrier Reef is the 8th wonder of the world. There are 350 species of coral with different sizes, shapes and colors, and more than 1500 species of fish and shellfish.

Many cities along the coast of Queensland offer daily departure by boat to the reef. The city of Cairns in northern Queensland, is the starting point for the most popular and went to among them. Several continental islands have also been converted into holiday centers.

Much of the reef is now protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It is in danger because of marine pollution, global warming and fishing.
The first European explorer to seeing the Great Barrier was the British Captain James Cook on his voyage of 1768. He discovered the Great Barrier Reef on June 11, 1770