Australia is home to a large variety of magnificent landforms. One of Australia’s most spectacular landforms and greatest tourist destinations is The Great Barrier Reef. Running along the coast of Queensland, The Great Barrier Reef is home to some of the most beautiful sea life in the world. It is the world's largest reef system and is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs. The Great Barrier Reef has over 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres and can be seen from space. More than 1,500 species of fish and 215 species of bird live on the reef. It is also home to over 30 species of whale, dolphin and porpoise and over 6 species of sea turtles. The Great Barrier Reef contains some coral that can be dated back over twenty million years which makes the reef an ancient treasure of Australia. The Great Barrier Reef begins at the tip of the Cape York Peninsula in north Queensland (10.68° S, 142.53° E) and extends all the way down to Bundaberg in south Queensland (24.85° S, 152.35° E). The Great Barrier Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been listed as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, which makes the reef an excellent holiday destination.
The coral reefs began to form around 48 – 58 million years ago when the Coral Sea Basin was formed. Once the continent of Australia had moved into its current position sea levels began to change and the coral reefs quickly began to grow, however sea levels and the changing climate began causing the reefs to grow and die in cycles. This is due to the fact that coral reefs require certain temperatures and levels of sunlight to survive. This is one of the many reasons that The Great Barrier Reef is such an amazing landform and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
If you want more information on The Great Barrier Reef and other Australian landforms, the visit these sites:
http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/
http://www.unmuseum.org/7wonders/greatreef.htm
http://geography.about.com/od/australiamaps/a/great-barrier-reef.htm
http://www.australianlandmarks.com.au/lists/australian-landforms-top-10-list
The coral reefs began to form around 48 – 58 million years ago when the Coral Sea Basin was formed. Once the continent of Australia had moved into its current position sea levels began to change and the coral reefs quickly began to grow, however sea levels and the changing climate began causing the reefs to grow and die in cycles. This is due to the fact that coral reefs require certain temperatures and levels of sunlight to survive. This is one of the many reasons that The Great Barrier Reef is such an amazing landform and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
If you want more information on The Great Barrier Reef and other Australian landforms, the visit these sites:
http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/
http://www.unmuseum.org/7wonders/greatreef.htm
http://geography.about.com/od/australiamaps/a/great-barrier-reef.htm
http://www.australianlandmarks.com.au/lists/australian-landforms-top-10-list