RAS question
The Great Barrier Reef is located near:
Correct answer: (B) Australia (Queensland coast).
The Great Barrier Reef is located off the Queensland coast of Australia.
Explanation
The Great Barrier Reef is near Australia, specifically along the Queensland coast. It is a 2,300 km reef system off Queensland and the world's largest coral reef system. Queensland Museum gives the same location and extent: the reef runs for about 2300 km along Queensland's coast, from Cape York in the north to around Bundaberg in the south. Its World Heritage status also fits this setting: the Great Barrier Reef received World Heritage status in 1981 because of its outstanding universal value. The decisive geographical fact is the reef's tie to Australia's Queensland coast, not to a separate ocean basin or distant sea.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Indian Ocean is wrong because the Great Barrier Reef lies along Australia's Queensland coast, not in the Indian Ocean.
- (C) The Mediterranean Sea is wrong because the reef lies off Queensland, Australia, whereas the Mediterranean is not connected to that Australian coastal location.
- (D) The Caribbean Sea is wrong because the Great Barrier Reef lies along the Queensland coast of Australia, not in the Caribbean region.
Concept
World geography treats the Great Barrier Reef as a major coral reef system with a specific coastal location and environmental setting. RAS often connects coral reefs with map work, environment, and biodiversity concepts.