Approximately how many individual reefs make up Australia’s Great Barrier Reef?

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef comprises about 2,900 individual reefs. This figure describes the many separate reef formations spread along the Queensland coast, rather than one continuous wall of coral.

The reef system also includes roughly 900 islands, including continental islands and coral cays. Its reefs vary greatly in size and shape, and they are separated by channels, lagoons, and deeper stretches of seawater.

A common mistake is to confuse the number of reefs with the reef’s length or coral diversity. The Great Barrier Reef extends for about 2,300 kilometres, while its many reefs support hundreds of coral species and thousands of other marine species. Counts can vary slightly between sources because mapping methods and definitions of an individual reef differ.