EARTH'S MOST SPECTACULAR PLACES

by Ann M. Cairns

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is a site for the record books.

Another spectacular place recognized as one of the seven wonders of the natural world, Australia's Great Barrier Reef also lays claim to being the only living, thriving ecosystem on Earth visible from space.

The marine park extends more than 1,800 miles (3,000 km) along the Queensland coast of northeast Australia, and it's home to the world's largest collection of corals - 400 distinct types!.

It's also home to 1,500 species of tropical fish, 4,000 types of mollusks, 200 types of birds and 20 types of reptiles, as well as many threatened species such as the dugong ("sea cow") and large green turtle.

The Great Barrier Reef is also an important breeding area for humpback whales migrating from Antarctica.

For more information about the UNESCO World Heritage program, click here.

Credit: iStockphoto

Article posted January 23, 2009.