The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park:

• Is the largest coral reef system in the world
• Covers 344,000km2 in area
• Is approximately 2300 kilometres in length
• Extends from the northern tip of Queensland south to just north of Bundaberg
• Is between 60 and 250 kilometres in width
• Has an average depth of water of 35 metres in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon
• Is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world (about 344,000km2)
• Includes the air above and the earth beneath the sea
• Was created in 1975 under legislation called the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975.

This unique ecosystem comprises about: 2900 reefs, 600 continental islands and 300 coral cays with only six percent of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park made up of coral reef.  The rest is comprised of seagrass, mangroves, sand, algal and sponge gardens, inter-reefal communities and other habitats.