Awesome Great Barrier Reef facts for kids
Written by: Cameron Ward
Published: 10/01/2023
Reading time: 3 mins
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beautiful places in the world to see.
The Great Barrier Reef is the most famous coral reef in the world and thousands of animals call the reef their home. You most likely already know about the reef that sits off the coast near Queensland.
Here are some fun and amazing facts about the Great Barrier Reef!
- The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef in the world
It is that large it could fit about 70 million football fields inside of it! The Great Barrier Reef is larger than Victoria and Tasmania together and is about the same size as Italy or Japan.
- You can see the Great Barrier Reef from outer space
The Great Barrier Reef is so big that astronauts can see it from outer space! They can see the Great Barrier Reef due to the light blue and dark blue waters from the reef making it clear to see.
- There are over 1500 types of fish
With so many fish to see, one of the most famous is the clownfish, as known as Nemo! There are also 6 types of turtles, over 100 types of jellyfish, and 180 types of sharks.
- The coral in the Great Barrier Reef is alive
The beautiful colourful coral that sits at the bottom of the reef is alive! The coral often looks like an underwater plant. The coral is a water (marine) animal that sits in one place throughout its life.
There are also over 400 types of coral that live in the Great Barrier Reef!
- The Great Barrier Reef is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World
The 7 Natural Wonders of the World are amazing natural sights that only a small amount of people will see. Other wonders on this list include Mount Everest, the Grand Canyon, and the Northern Lights.
- Every year over 2 million people visit
The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s most popular places where people all around the world want to visit and see the reef. People love to be able to snorkel or dive to see all the fish and other animals that live in the reef.
- The reef is millions of years old
The alive colourful corals that sit at the bottom of the reef are less than 10,000 years old. But underneath the alive coral sits the old and dead coral that could be about 20 million years old.
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most amazing natural places in the world. Even with how old it is, it still looks beautiful with thousands of different animals swimming around.
