Global Distribution of Coral Reefs

The vast majority of coral reefs occur in tropical and subtropical waters between 30°N and 30°S latitude. The epicenter of diversity is the Coral Triangle (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste), which hosts ~76% of known coral species (>500 spp.) and over 3,000 fish species. Other major regions: Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Red Sea, Caribbean, Western Indian Ocean, and Pacific atolls.