Sea · Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a huge sea of the Pacific Ocean off the north-east coast of Australia. It is named after its many coral formations, above all the Great Barrier Reef, the largest known reef system in the world.
Picture credit: Wyncliffe (CC0) · Ever Lodges (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Coral Sea?
Part of: Pacific Ocean.
Countries on its coasts: Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia.
The story behind it
The Coral Sea covers about 4.79 million km² and lies between Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Along Australia's coast stretches the Great Barrier Reef, about 2 000 km long, with around 2 900 separate reefs and 1 000 islands. In 1981 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. East of it lie many more reefs that belong to the Coral Sea Islands. The sea is full of life: six kinds of sea turtles, at least 30 kinds of whales, dolphins and porpoises, more than 1 500 kinds of fish and around 125 kinds of sharks, rays and their relatives. Dugongs live here too. On average the water is about 2 394 metres deep, and its deepest point is about 9 140 metres down. Tropical cyclones often sweep across the sea, especially from January to April. Cairns and Townsville in Australia lie on its shore.
Find it on the globe
Coral Sea is there as a name written across its water — tap the water and its card opens. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
Questions children ask
How big is the Coral Sea?
The Coral Sea covers about 4.79 million km². Its average depth is about 2 394 metres, and at its deepest it reaches about 9 140 metres.
Why is it called the Coral Sea?
It got its name from its many coral formations. The most famous is the Great Barrier Reef, the largest known reef system in the world.
Which animals live in the Coral Sea?
More than 1 500 kinds of fish, six kinds of sea turtles and at least 30 kinds of whales, dolphins and porpoises live here. There are also around 125 kinds of sharks and rays, as well as dugongs.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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