What is the Great Blue Hole of Belize?
The Great Blue Hole is a huge submarine sinkhole. It is located near the center of the Lighthouse Reef, a small island 100 kilometres from the Belize City.
How deep is the Great Blue Hole of belize?
The hole is circular in shape, and is over 300 meters across and 125 meters deep. It is the world’s largest natural formation of its kind and is an integral part of the larger Barrier Reef Reserve System, which is a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
How was the Great Blue Hole Belize formed?
The Great Blue Hole formed in stages, starting about 153,000 years ago as a sinkhole. The sinkhole originally formed as a limestone cave during the last glacial period. This was a time when the sea levels were much lower. As the ocean started to rise, the cave got flooded and finally collapsed, resulting in a ‘vertical cave’ in the ocean. This research was done by French Naval Officer and pioneer marine biologist, Jacques Cousteau, in the year 1971.
Who named the Great Blue Hole Belize?
The name ‘Great Blue Hole’ was given to this spectacular natural geographic feature by the British diver and author Ned Middleton, in his book Ten Years Underwater.
What type of animals and plants are found in the Great Blue Hole of Belize?
There are over 500 rare forms of animal and plant life found in the Great Blue Hole of Belize. Here, you would be able to meet several unique species of fish, including Midnight Parrotfish, Caribbean Reef Shark, and other rare fishes.
What kind of sharks are in the Blue Hole Belize?
Sharks such as the Bull Shark and Hammerheads, have also been reported here.
3 Interesting facts about Great Blue Hole of Belize
- Each year, more than 200,000 people come to visit the Great Blue Hole of Belize from all over the world.
- The Blue Hole Monument is one of the seven wonders of the Belize’s World Heritage site.
- The Discovery Channel placed the Great Blue Hole Belize at number one on its list of ‘The 10 Most Amazing Places on Earth’.