According to the U.S. State Department, the Coral Sea and its islands, fall under the sovereignty of Australia.
The Coral Sea covers one million square kilometers; four times the size of Great Britain.
The Coral Sea got its name from its coral content. Coral actually consists of small animals called polyps, which are related to sea anemones. Each coral unit forms a hard shell of limestone for protection. Coral polyps divide and create coral reefs.
The Great Barrier Reef, a part of the Coral Sea just off of Australia's northeastern Queensland coast, is the world's largest coral reef. The reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, can be seen from space and is larger than the Great Wall of China.
The Coral Sea contains some of the most diverse and thriving marine life in the world. Fish found in the Coral Sea include tuna, hammerhead sharks, grey tip sharks, white tip sharks, barracuda, turtles, whales and manta rays.
Swimming in the Coral Sea comes with its own particular hazards: man-eating sharks and rough coral that sometimes have stingers. When swimming in the Coral Sea, make sure to wear a wetsuit and neoprene gloves to avoid cuts and always watch for sharks.
The Coral Sea Islands are a series of islands in the Coral Sea, located off of the northeastern coast of Australia. Together, they comprise an area of less than three square kilometers, but they contain a number of small islands and coral reefs.
The Coral Sea is unique among marine biology. Around the world, coral reefs are being destroyed five times faster than rainforests and coral reef marine life is disappearing at a rate of 90 percent in some places. According to Australia's chapter of the World Wildlife Federation, the Coral Sea has, as of March 2011, not fallen victim to industry, pollution and marine traffic that is destroying coral reefs in other oceans.
In 2007, the World Wildlife Federation proposed a plan to protect 300,000 square miles of Coral Sea, tripling the size of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef comprise one of the world's last untouched marine regions.
The Battle of the Coral Sea, which took place between May 7 and 8, 1942, was one of the important aircraft carrier battles of World War Two's Pacific arena. Allied carriers were diverted to the Coral Sea, where the Japanese fleet was attempting to capture Port Moresby on New Guinea's southeastern coast. Several Japanese aircraft carriers were bombed, contributing to the later massive Japanese defeat at Midway.
