| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Shark Bay | |
| Location | Gascoyne region, Western Australia, Australia |
| Criteria | Natural: vii, viii, ix, x |
| Reference | 578 |
| Inscription | 1991 (15th Session) |
| Area | 2,200,902 ha (5,438,550 acres) |
| Coordinates | 25°30′S 113°30′E / 25.500°S 113.500°E |
  Location of Shark Bay at the most westerly point of the Australian continent | |
Shark Bay (Malgana: Gathaagudu, lit. 'two waters') is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The 23,000-square-kilometre (8,900 sq mi)[1] area is located approximately 800 kilometres (500 mi) north of Perth, on the westernmost point of the Australian continent.
UNESCO's listing of Shark Bay as a World Heritage Site reads:[2]
Shark Bay's waters, islands and peninsulas....have a number of exceptional natural features, including one of the largest and most diverse seagrass beds in the world. However, it is for its stromatolites (colonies of microbial mats that form hard, dome-shaped deposits which are said to be the oldest life forms on earth), that the property is most renowned. The property is also famous for its rich marine life including a large population of dugongs, and provides a refuge for a number of other globally threatened species.
The bay features Australia's most abundant marine ecosystems.[3] It is a popular fishing spot.
- ^ Johns, Angela (16 April 2024). "World Heritage Places - Shark Bay, Western Australia". Canberra: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Shark Bay, Western Australia". World Heritage Convention. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2014. Archived from the original on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ Prendergast, Joanna; Lewis, Chris (13 May 2023). "Shark Bay locals fear influx of fishers to World Heritage site will harm fish stocks". ABC News. Retrieved 8 November 2023.