The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef Panayiota Photiou B’2

General information about the place…. The Great Barrier Reef is one the most beautiful and outstanding places of the world. It can be seen from space. It is also the world's biggest reef system (2000 km long), made of 2,900 reefs and 900 islands which cover 2,600 kilometers . Moreover the reef is located in the Coral Sea, in north-east Australia and this reef is made and built by many small organisms, known as coral polyps. The Great Barrier Reef has a tropical climate, with temperatures in summer 24-33 0C and in winter 14-26 0C.

History of the place…… • The Great Barrier Reef is an old and huge habitat of living things, made of living coral growing on dead coral. • Many dead corals have built themselves into walls covered by many living organisms. • The Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples knew and used the Great Barrier Reef years ago. Aboriginal Australians have been living in the area for 4,000 years and Torres Strait Islanders for 1,000 years.

History of the place… • In 1768, during an exploration Louis de Bougainville discovered the reef. • On 11, June, 1770, the HM Bark Endeavour, captained by James Cook, arrived at the Great Barrier Reef. • Many years ago, the area of the Great Barrier Reef was dry with large plains. • This area today is down of more than one hundred meters below sea level.

You can go to the Great Barrier reef by a boat or by diving and swimming.

Some of the islands of the reef.. • Bedarra Island • Daydream Island • Hayman Island • South Molle Island • Haggerstone Island • Great Keppel Island

The life there… • The Great Barrier Reef is the house for many animals, plants and endangered species. • Whales, dolphins, porpoises and sea turtles are in the Great Barrier Reef. Also saltwater crocodiles and salt marshes live there. Forty-nine species of pipefish and nine species of seahorse have been seen and seven species of frog live in the islands of the reef. Sea snakes live on the Great Barrier Reef and more than 1,500 fish. • 215 species of birds visit the reef or the islands and 1.4–1.7 million birds use the sites to breed. The islands of the Great Barrier Reef also have 2,195 plant species and 400 different kinds of coral, like coral sponges.

Tourism… • The Great Barrier reef is a popular tourists destination because of its beauty, the warm clear waters, the accessibility from the tourist boats and the animals and plants that are living on the reef. • There are many tourist’s activities in the Great Barrier Reef like day and overnight tours, scuba diving and fishing charters. Also the tourists that visit the place can have a good time by doing aircraft or helicopter tours, educational trips where they can learn more about the place, water sports, whale watching and moreover they can swim with dolphins.

Environmental threats…. • Climate change and pollution are the dangers to the health of the reef. Other dangers are crown of thorns starfish, fishing, oil spills and tropical cyclones. • The climate change causes ocean warming and coral bleaching and affects the life of the reef and also the life of the animals and plants that are there. • The pollution causes the reduction of the water quality and moreover it poses a big threat to the reef and the life there.

In 1975 the Government of Australia created the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park which protects a large part of the reef. The marine park helps to reduce the effects of human use, like fishing and tourism on the reef.

I think that the Great Barrier reef is a beautiful and very special place! It is like a nature’s gift that all people should learn about and visit !!!!

Bibliography • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef • http://www.greatbarrierreef.org • http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk • http://www.travelmate.com.au/Places/Featured_Regions.asp?RegionId=20

The Great Barrier Reef