词条 | Belize Barrier Reef |
释义 | Belize Barrier Reef reef, Belize ![]() coral reef (ocean) that is second in size to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and the largest of its kind in the Northern and Western hemispheres. Extending for more than 180 miles (290 km) along the Caribbean (Caribbean Sea) coast of Belize, it maintains an offshore distance ranging from about 1,000 feet (300 m) in the north to 25 miles (40 km) in the south, except at Rocky Point, where it meets the shoreline. The 370-square-mile (960-square-km) area is protected by the contiguous Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve (established 1996), Blue Hole Natural Monument (1996), Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (1982), Glover's Reef Marine Reserve (1993), South Water Caye Marine Reserve (1977), Laughing Bird Caye National Park (1991), and Sapodilla Marine Reserve (1996). Nearly 450 mangrove cays and sandy islands of varying sizes are contained within the reef and its atolls (ocean), which include the Western Hemisphere's only coral atolls. Several rare and endangered animal species, such as the American crocodile, are found in the area, as is the world's largest population of West Indian manatees (manatee). Other animals common to the region are sea turtles, red-footed boobies and other seabirds, and more than 500 species of fish, 65 species of stony corals (Scleractinia), and 350 varieties of mollusks (mollusk). Above water there are some 178 plant species, and below are 247 types of marine flora; algal varieties and turtle and manatee sea-grass beds (boundary ecosystem) are plentiful. ![]() |
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