1.1 Location and Latitude

Coral reefs need warm salt water to be able to grow. Thus, they are predominantly found in the oceans and seas within the topics.

Picture showing distribution of coral reefs.

source: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/coralreef_image.html

Relative Location of the GBR

The Great Barrier Reef is located within the tropic of Capricorn and the equator (the tropics) thus the climate is warm all year round. It is located off the North Eastern coastline of Australia (Queensland)

Absolute Location of the GBR

Remember Lat lines are the flat lines

The reef extends from around the 8 degrees south latitude in the north (close to Papua New Guinea) to just north of Fraser Island around the 24 degrees south latitude in the south. It is not a single barrier reef, as its name suggests, but consists of multiple reefs. The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area contains most of the reef, extending from the tip of Cape York in the north (9°15'S) to Lady Elliott Island (24°07'S), north of Bundaberg, in the south.