#Atoll examples series

However, the economic rights to the area, which is rich in gas and oil deposits, is still disputed between several nations. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration determined that the area was within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. It is located in the South China Sea to the northeast of the Spratly Islands. The Reed Bank is the second largest atoll in the world at 8,866 square kilometers (3,423 square miles) in size. Great Chagos Bank is currently administered by the British Indian Ocean Territory, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It was first surveyed by Robert Moresby in 1839, who also surveyed the aforementioned North Bank. Most of this atoll is located underwater, with the exception of a few small islets which have been designated as strict nature reserves by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) since 1998. The Great Chagos Bank is the largest atoll in the world, taking up a massive area of 12,642 square kilometers (4,881 square miles). Examining 5 of the World's Largest Atolls Great Chagos Bank Most of the world’s great atolls are located in the Pacific Ocean, especially in the islands of Tuamotu, Caroline, Marshall, and the Coral Sea. Atolls are only found in the tropical and subtropical warm waters of the oceans and seas. Atoll islands are mostly low-lying with an elevation of less than five meters.

The corals of the atoll sit on top of the rim of an extinct volcano called seamounts which have eroded beneath the waters. Atoll and lagoons form a rim around an island that offers protection to the central island.

#Atoll examples series

An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef or series of coral rims that encircle a lagoon either partially or wholly.