atoll

Also known as coral atoll

thumb|The atoll of Tetiʻaroa in [[French Polynesia]]

AI overview

An atoll is a ring-shaped coral island that encloses a shallow lagoon of water in its center. Atolls are important because they support unique ecosystems and are home to human communities, particularly in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

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Wikidata facts

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OpenStreetMap tag: biotic_reef:type=atoll
Commons gallery: Atoll
Commons category: Atolls
time of discovery or invention: 1842-00-00
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00000166

Sources (5)

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~14 min read

Article

11 sections

Contents

Usage
Distribution and size
List of atolls
Gallery
Formation<span class="anchor" id="Darwin Point"></span>
Royal Society expeditions 1896-98
See also
References
Inline citations
Sources
External links

thumb|The atoll of Tetiʻaroa in [[French Polynesia]]

An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most of the approximately 440 atolls in the world are in the Pacific Ocean.