9 Coolest Aquariums Around The World

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James Massoud | Jul 15, 2010 | 0 comments

Aquariums are fascinating places because they offer the visitors a glimpse into the watery world of marine life. Exotic fish, ferocious predators of the sea, big fish, little fish, no cardboard box, freaky fish, colourful fish, fish we didn’t even know existed all baffle and amaze us in their unique individuality. There are some aquariums around the world that are simply mind boggling in their enormity and dazzling beyond belief. Here we’ll be taking a closer look at nine of the most fascinating aquariums around the world.

1. Dubai Aquarium

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In 2008 the Dubai Aquarium, located in the Duabai Mall, broke the Guinness World Record for the ‘World’s Largest Acrylic Panel’. A vast collection of 33,000 plus marine life is found in the breathtaking aquarium. People are able to experience the closeness of the marine life when venturing through the glass tunnels that run right through. Deemed to be an engineering marvel the aquarium is three storeys high and is large enough to cover 50 soccer pitches!

2. Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta

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The world’s largest aquarium is the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. It holds a staggering over 100,000 animals of 500 different species. Some of the star attractions include whales sharks, beluga whales, and manta rays. Even more amazingly the aquarium has a capacity of 8.1 million gallons (31,000 m³) of marine fresh water.

3. Churaumi Aquarium

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The world’s second largest aquarium is found in Motobu, Okinawa, Japan. The main tank, known as the ‘Kuroshio Sea’ holds almost 2 million gallons of water. The naming of the aquarium was put to a public vote. With 13,000 votes in its favour Churaumi was chosen. “Chura” means beautiful or graceful in the Okinawan dialect, whereas “Umi” means ocean. It holds a vast collection of marine life and 80 species of coral. Churaumi is renowned for its animal breeding; in 2007 a manta ray was born and as of this month there have been four born in the aquarium altogether.

4. The Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA)

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Similar glass tunnels are found in the AQWA as those in Dubai giving the visitor a closer inspection of the marine life. It’s a privately owned aquarium in Hilarys, Western Australia. It opened as Underwater World, Perth on April 13, 1988 and was acquired by the current owners, Coral World International and Morris Kahn, in 1991. It changed to its current name on January 1, 2001.
The facility holds approximately 400 species of marine life.

5. uShaka Marine World

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The largest aquarium in Africa, uShaka Marine World is situated between the beach and the harbor in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The aquarium doubles up as a water theme park attracting thousands of visitors. It is the fifth largest aquarium in the world with 32 water tanks holding various species of fish and marine life, ranging from sea horses to sharks and dolphins. It is unique even more with its design that resembles a rusted old shipping wreck.

6. AquaDom, Radisson Hotel Aquarium

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AquaDom is the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium and is found in the Radisson Hotel, Berlin, Germany. It’s 25 metres high and contains 260,000 gallons of water and over 2,500 fish (56 species). Visitors get a spectacular view when travelling through the elevator, which is encapsulated inside the aquarium. A restaraunt is situated at the top and some of the hotel rooms also bear a view of the unique aquarium.

7. The 32 million dollar Virtual Aquarium

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Ok so it isn’t a real aquarium. Doesn’t matter because it is still pretty cool. A 250m by 30m LED screen has been mounted onto the ceiling that is 80 feet high. Take a wild guess as to how much this cost? It can be found in a Beijing shopping mall. Want more stats? Of course you do! There is an impressive 7,500 square metres of viewable area and it has actually been made by the combination of five screens.

8. Oceanographic Museum of Monaco

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This aquarium in Monaco has a long history, having been founded by Prince Albert I in 1910. Situated in Monte Carlo, the two-floor cliff-hanging aquarium perches 279 feet above the sea. It holds over 90 tanks, 4,000 species of fish and more than 200 families of invertebrates. The Shark Lagoon is another feature inside the aquarium and is a giant tank which showcases the diversity and vibrant colors of the coral reef and its inhabitants.

9. Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre

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Canada’s largest aquarium is home to 33,700 fish from about 300 species; 30,000 invertebrates; more than 350 snakes, frogs and newts from 56 species of amphibians and reptiles; and 21 species of birds and mammals from around the globe, including whales. They also house a unique Tropical Gallery where the stars are the blacktip reef sharks.