Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
coral reef
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Great Barrier Reef sea fan lagoons Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
How do corals reproduce?
crown-of-thorns sea star
What causes coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef?
How can coral reefs be protected from sunscreen damage?
coral bleaching near the Mariana Islands Coral reef in the Red Sea
For Students
coral reef summary
Quizzes
Taj Mahal, Agra, India. UNESCO World Heritage Site (minarets; Muslim, architecture; Islamic architecture; marble; mausoleum)
Wonders of the World Quiz
Chutes d'Ekom - a waterfall on the Nkam river in the rainforest near Melong, in the western highlands of Cameroon in Africa.
Ecosystems
Related Questions
Read Next
Great Barrier Reef coral bleached area map and infographic
How and Where Coral Bleaching Is Affecting the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef coral bleached area map and infographic
Coral Bleaching: A Threat to Our Reefs
Charles Darwin, carbon print photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1868.
What Darwin Got Right (and Wrong) About Evolution
Discover
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
Baseball laying in the grass. Homepage blog 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics
10 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time
Thanksgiving Turkey with all the sides
Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?
Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)
8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History
Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century

coral reef: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/coral-reef
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As organic reef

Photos and Videos

Great Barrier Reef
sea fan
lagoons
Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
crown-of-thorns sea star
coral bleaching near the Mariana Islands
Coral reef in the Red Sea
A diver exploring a coral reef in the Maldives.
coral reef
fringing reef
How do corals reproduce?
What causes coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef?
How can coral reefs be protected from sunscreen damage?
Behaviors of butterflyfish and squirrelfish
Various fish species in South Pacific coral reefs
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
British naturalist
Dana, James D.
James D. Dana
American geologist and mineralogist
Alexander Agassiz
Alexander Agassiz
Swiss scientist
Murray, Sir John
Sir John Murray
Scottish Canadian oceanographer

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Taj Mahal, Agra, India. UNESCO World Heritage Site (minarets; Muslim, architecture; Islamic architecture; marble; mausoleum)
Wonders of the World Quiz
Chutes d'Ekom - a waterfall on the Nkam river in the rainforest near Melong, in the western highlands of Cameroon in Africa.
Ecosystems