RAS question
The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system, is located off the coast of:
Correct answer: (B) Queensland, Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system, is located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, in the Coral Sea.
Explanation
The Great Barrier Reef is off Queensland's north-eastern coast in Australia, so Queensland, Australia is the precise location asked for in the question. NOAA identifies it as the largest coral reef system in the world and places it in the Coral Sea off Queensland. The standard geography fact tested here is that the reef is not just near Australia in a broad sense, but specifically off Queensland. Its scale includes more than 2,300 km of reef, about 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, along with its UNESCO World Heritage status, visibility from space, rich marine biodiversity, and threats such as coral bleaching, pollution and crown-of-thorns starfish.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Indonesia belongs to the Coral Triangle region, but the Great Barrier Reef itself is not off Indonesia; NOAA places it off Queensland, Australia.
- (C) The Maldives are known for atolls, but they are distinct from the world's largest coral reef system, which is off Queensland.
- (D) Florida has the Florida Keys reefs, but those are smaller and are not the Great Barrier Reef identified by NOAA off Queensland, Australia.
Concept
This tests the world geography concept of locating major physical features by their adjoining coast and country. It recurs in RAS because coral reefs link physical geography with environmental themes such as biodiversity, bleaching and marine conservation.