List of reefs
This is an incomplete list of notable reefs.
Reefs
Name | Image | Location | Coordinates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
African coral reefs | |
Red Sea to Madagascar | 0°03′05″S 50°50′46″E / 0.051377°S 50.846055°E | Consists of numerous coral reefs, mostly along the east and south coast of Africa. The reefs faces multiple threats such as untreated sewage, industrial run-offs, pollutants, and sediment flowing from rivers. Also, the 1997/98 El Nino destroyed 90% of the coral. |
Amazon Reef | Off the coast of French Guinea and northern Brazil | 1°N 49°W / 1°N 49°W | The Amazon Reef (also referred to as the Amazonian Reef) is an extensive coral and sponge reef system, located off the coast of French Guiana and northern Brazil. It is one of the largest reef systems in the world known to exist, with scientists estimating its length to be over 600 miles (970 km) long, and covering over 3,600 square miles (9,300 km2) of area.[1] | |
Angria Bank | |
Off the coast of Vijaydurg, Maharashtra, India | 16°26′N 72°02′E / 16.43°N 72.03°E | |
Apo Reef | Mindoro Strait, Philippines | 12°39′42″N 120°24′52″E / 12.66167°N 120.4144°E | This is the Philippines' largest reef and the world's second-largest contiguous coral reef system. | |
Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | |
Cozumel, Mexico | 20°10′25″N 87°00′46″W / 20.1737°N 87.0129°W | Part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System |
Bar Reef | |
Kalpitiya peninsula, Sri Lanka | 8°13′48″N 79°26′24″E / 8.2300°N 79.4400°E | This coral reef has more biodiversity than in any of the waters of India. It is one of only a few pristine systems in Sri Lanka. |
Belize Barrier Reef | Belize | 17°11′08″N 87°19′26″W / 17.1856°N 87.324°W | This is the second biggest coral reef system on Earth, the largest being the Great Barrier Reef. It is a around 1/3 of the 900-km-long Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. | |
Benares Shoals | Peros Banhos atoll, northern Chagos Archipelago | 5°09′S 71°24′E / 5.15°S 071.40°E | ||
Coral Triangle | Mainly Indonesia | 3°58′13″N 134°49′10″E / 3.970166°N 134.819424°E | Called the "Amazon of the seas", this is a large area defined within a triangular area in the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. | |
Daintree Reef | |
Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia | 16°01′58″S 145°26′06″E / 16.032856°S 145.434958°E | Named after geologist and photographer Richard Daintree, this system is adjacent to the Daintree Rainforest. |
Darwin Mounds | |
Off the northwest coast of Scotland | 59°27′N 7°08′W / 59.45°N 7.13°W | Located around 1,000 m (3,280 feet) below the surface, this system consists of a big field of sand mounds. |
Filippo Reef | 450 km east of Starbuck Island in the Pacific Ocean | 5°18′S 151°30′W / 05.30°S 151.50°W | ||
Flinders Reef | |
Off Moreton Island in the Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia | 26°59′18″S 153°26′31.4″E / 26.98833°S 153.442056°E | |
French Frigate Shoals | Northwestern Hawaiian Islands | 23°26′44″N 166°50′46″W / 23.4456°N 166.846°W | This is a 32-km-long, crescent-shaped reef maintained by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as a field station within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. | |
Great Barrier Reef | Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia[2] | 18°10′16″S 147°25′12″E / 18.1710°S 147.4200°E | Known as the largest in the world | |
Isla Pérez | Gulf of Mexico | 22°14′02″N 89°25′12″W / 22.2340°N 89.4200°W | ||
Kingman Reef | North Pacific Ocean | 6°14′N 162°15′W / 6.23°N 162.25°W | Roughly triangular in shape | |
Lansdowne Bank | Coral Sea | 20°21′S 160°18′E / 20.35°S 160.30°E | This is one of the biggest banks on Earth. | |
Lyra Reef | |
Papua New Guinea | 1°27′S 153°12′E / 1.45°S 153.20°E | |
Manuel Luis Reefs | |
Brazil | 0°54′48″S 44°19′10″W / 0.913302°S 44.319530°W | The largest coral reef of South America.[3] |
Maro Reef | Northwestern Hawaiian Islands | 25°24′54″N 170°35′24″W / 25.415°N 170.590°W | This reef is named after the ship Maro, captained by Captain Joseph Allen who discovered the reef in 1820. | |
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System | |
From the Yucatán Peninsula to Honduras | 18°20′38″N 87°25′18″W / 18.343938°N 87.421764°W | Also known as the Great Mayan Reef or Great Maya Reef, this is a World Heritage Site. |
Mexico Rocks | |
Ambergris Caye, Belize | 18°03′01″N 87°33′19″W / 18.05021°N 87.555174°W | This area consists mainly of boulder corals and comprises about 100 Holocene patch reefs in a cluster on a ridge made of Pleistocene limestone. |
Miami Terrace Reef | Florida, United States | 25°27′N 79°33′W / 25.45°N 79.55°W | This is a deep reef system that lies at 200 to 600 meters below sea level. | |
Minami-Tori-shima | Japan | 24°10′16″N 153°35′06″E / 24.1712°N 153.5850°E | ||
Minerva Reefs | Fiji and Tonga | 23°23′S 178°32′W / 23.38°S 178.54°W | ||
Miri-Sibuti Coral Reef National Park | |
Sarawak, Malaysia | 4°11′N 113°31′E / 4.19°N 113.51°E | This is a protected area and popular dive site. |
New Caledonia Barrier Reef | New Caledonia | 20°14′39″S 164°20′09″E / 20.2443°S 164.3359°E | This is a double-barrier coral reef, and the second-longest on Earth, the longest being the Belize Barrier Reef. | |
Ningaloo Coast | |
Western Australia | 22°20′04″S 113°29′01″E / 22.3345°S 113.4837°E | A World Heritage Site, this reef is noted for whale sharks. |
North East Reef | Western Australia | 28°15′05″S 113°29′03″E / 28.2513°S 113.4841°E | ||
Osprey Reef | Coral Sea, Australia | 13°54′29″S 146°36′55″E / 13.90806°S 146.61528°E | ||
Palancar Reef | |
Cozumel, Mexico | 20°17′48″N 87°01′06″W / 20.296685°N 87.018439°W | A popular diving location, this is part of the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park. |
Qixingyan (Taiwan) | |
Pingtung County, Taiwan | 21°27′12″N 120°29′34″E / 21.453198°N 120.492894°E | This is a shallow system with parts being visible at low tide. Many shipwrecks have occurred here. |
Reunion Island's coral reef | Madagascar | 21°05′06″S 55°13′17″E / 21.0851°S 55.2214°E | Threatened in recent times by an increase in human exploitation as well as pollution | |
Røst Reef | |
Lofoten, Norway | 67°29′02″N 12°01′08″E / 67.483951°N 12.018849°E | This is the largest Lophelia reef known, and the biggest known deep-water coral reef system. |
Scorpion Reef | Yucatán, Mexico | 22°13′33″N 89°24′21″W / 22.2258°N 89.40578°W | This reef is part of the Campeche Bank archipeligo. | |
Sha`b Abu Nuhas | |
Northern Red Sea | 27°34′01″N 33°55′01″E / 27.567°N 33.917°E | Considered a hazard to ships, this is a popular diving site. |
South Sentinel Island | |
Andaman Islands | 10°35′02″N 92°07′54″E / 10.5840°N 92.1318°E | |
Sula Reef | |
Sør-Trøndelag, Norway | This reef is composed of Lophelia pertusa coral. | |
Tubbataha Reef | |
Sulu Sea | 8°33′N 119°33′E / 8.55°N 119.55°E | This reef system contains a very high density of different species and is designated a World Heritage Site. |
See also
- Fringing reef
- Recreational dive sites
- Recreational diving
- Southeast Asian coral reefs
- The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs
References
- ↑ Vidal, John (April 23, 2016). "Huge coral reef discovered at Amazon river mouth". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/great%20barrier%20reef
- ↑ Edison Lobão; Fernando César de Moreira Mesquita (11 June 1991), Decreto nº 11.902 de 11 de Junho de 1991 (PDF) (in Portuguese), State of Maranhão, retrieved 2016-08-03
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