10 Largest Aquariums in the World
10. Aquarium of Western Australia (0.8 million gallons)
The Aquarium of Western Australia or
AQWA in short, is located in a coastal suburb of Perth. AQWA contains
the largest aquarium tank of Australia. The 40 meters (130 ft) long and
20 meters (66 ft) wide main tank of the aquarium holds 3,000,000 liters
(793,000 gallons) of seawater. There is a 98 meter (322 ft) long
underwater tunnel here. Snorkelers and divers can get even closer to the
fish, sharks, and rays for a fee by joining the dive master of the
aquarium in exploring the main tank.
Also Read: Top 10 best Island reefs around the world
9. Aquarium of Genoa
Located in Italy, the Aquarium of Genoa
is built for Expo 92. It is one of the largest aquariums in Europe.
Replications of marine and terrestrial habitats from throughout the
world are made in the 70 tanks of the aquarium. These tanks provide a
home for more than 6000 animals. The natural environments of the
Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean are reproduced in some
tanks. The tanks housing the sharks, the dolphins and the seals are the
most spectacular ones.
8. Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
One of the largest aquariums in Asia,
The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is composed of 9 exhibition zones of all
over the world. The zones include the China Zone, the Antarctic Zone and
the Australia Zone. Including rare and precious species from the
Yangtze River, several endangered Chinese aquatic species are housed in
the China Zone. The underwater tunnel is the biggest attraction of the
aquarium. The tunnel is 155 meter (509 ft) long and the longest
underwater tunnel in the world.
7. uShaka Marine World
Situated at Durban, the uShaka Marine
World is a theme park in South Africa. There are 32 tanks here and the
aquarium also contains the largest aquarium in Africa. The aquarium
boasts a range of sea creatures from small sea horses all the way
through to sharks and dolphins.
The Aquarium contains a number of
restaurants and cafes and it is built to look like an old wreck. “The
Cargo Hold” restaurant is the most notable of these restaurants. “The
Cargo Hold” restaurant contains a full wall sized aquarium containing a
number of sharks that are visible from most of the dining area.
6. Monterey Bay Aquarium (1.2 million gallons)
Constructed on the site of a former
sardine cannery, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is located on Cannery Row in
Monterey, California. There are two gigantic tanks among the numerous
exhibits of the aquarium. These two tanks are among the largest
aquariums in the world. The Ocean’s Edge Wing’s centerpiece is a 10
meter (33 foot) high 1.3 million liter (0.33 million gallon) tank, which
is for viewing California coastal marine life.
The Outer Bay Wing contains the other
tank. The 4.5 million liter (1.2 million gallon) tank features one of
the largest single-paned windows in the world. Including stingrays,
jellyfish, sea otters, the tank exhibit numerous other native marine
species that can be viewed above and below the waterline.
5. Turkuazoo (1.32 million gallons)
Turkuazoo is the first giant aquarium in
the Turkey. The aquarium is opened in 2009. The aquarium features a
rainforest, flooded forest and tropical seas zones. Located inside the
Forum Istanbul Shopping Mall, the aquarium contains an 80 meter long
underwater tunnel. Including tiger sharks, giant stingrays and piranhas,
the Turkuazoo holds about 10,000 sea creatures. They can be viewed in
29 different exhibits where the largest holds 5 million liters (1.32
million gallons) of water. It is one of the largest aquariums in the
world.
4. L’Oceanografic (1, 85 million gallons)
Different marine habitats are
represented in the L’Oceanogràfic. This marine complex is integrated
inside a complex known as the City of Arts and Sciences located inside
the city of Valencia in Spain. One of the largest aquariums in Europe is
featured in the Oceanogràfic. The tank is a home to more than 45,000 marine creatures.
Nine under water towers structured on
two levels are populated here that represent several marine ecosystems. A
35 meter underwater tunnel connects two underwater towers and 7 million
liters (1, 85 million gallon) of water with sharks, rays fill up its
tank.
3. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (1, 98 million gallons)
Located within the Ocean Expo Park in
Japan, the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium was opened in 2002. The Kuroshio
Sea is the main tank of the aquarium. The tank holds 7,5 million liters
(1,981,000 gallons) of water and features an acrylic glass panel
measuring 8.2 by 22.5 meters (27 by 74 feet) with a thickness of 60
centimeters (24 inches).
It is the largest such panel in the world when the aquarium was opened. Kuroshio Sea
is one of the biggest aquariums in the world housing whale sharks and
manta rays along with many other fish species. A total of four manta
rays have been born in the aquarium as of July 2010.
2. Dubai Mall Aquarium (2, 64 million gallons)
The Dubai Mall is part of the 20-billion-dollar Burj Dubai complex in Dubai.
It is one of the largest shopping malls in the world. With the capacity
to hold 10 million liters (2, 64 million gallons) of water; the
gigantic aquarium tank is the centerpiece of the mall. Including over
400 sharks and rays combined, the aquarium houses more than 33,000
living animals.
For the “Largest Acrylic Panel” in the
world, the aquarium officially earned the Guinness World Record. Beating
Japan’s Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium to the punch, the panel measures 8.3
by 32.88 meter (27 by 108 feet) and is 75 centimeters (30 inches) thick.
1. Georgia Aquarium (6, 3 million gallons)
Located in Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium
is the largest aquarium in the world. The aquarium houses more than
100,000 sea creatures. A $250 million donation from Home Depot
co-founder Bernie Marcus funded the aquarium mostly. The aquarium is
opened to the visitors in November 2005. The only institution outside of
Asia to house whale sharks is the Georgia Aquarium.
A gigantic 24 million liter (6.3 million
gallon) tank in the Ocean Voyager exhibit contains the sharks. There
has been controversy surrounding the decision of the Georgia Aquarium to
house whale sharks, which were heightened by the deaths of two of the
whale sharks originally obtained.
No comments:
Post a Comment