Belize Barrier Reef

Belize Barrier Reef
IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
Corals in the Great Blue Hole
The Barrier Reef is clearly visible along the Belizean coast.
Location	Belize
Nearest city	Belize City, Belize
Coordinates	17°18′56″N 87°32′4″W

The Belize Barrier Reef is a series of coral reefs. It goes along the coast of Belize, about 300 meters (980 ft) offshore in the north and 40 kilometers (25 mi) in the south. The Belize Barrier Reef is a 300 kilometers (190 mi) long section of the 900 kilometers (560 mi) long Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The reef system runs continuous from Cancún on the northeast tip of the Yucatán Peninsula through the Riviera Maya up to Honduras. This makes it one of the largest coral reef systems in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the New Caledonia Barrier Reef.

Charles Darwin described it as "the most remarkable reef in the West Indies" in 1842.

Species

The Belize Barrier Reef is home to many different plants and animals. There are:

• 70 hard coral species
• 36 soft coral species
• 500 species of fish
• hundreds of invertebrate species

About 90% of the reef still needs to be researched. It is thought that only 10% of all species have been discovered.