Global Distribution

Coral reefs generally require warm water, from 18-16 degrees, adapting poorly to temperature fluctuations, and strong sunlight, as well as other factors. Therefore, distribution of corals is generally restricted to 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S latitudes, where the temperature is warm enough and there is ample sunlight. There are some exceptions due to the fact that warm currents from within the tropics can extend beyond these latitudes, allowing coral growth to continue, such as around Southern Japan. Other factors including water clarity as well and salinity fluctuations, as corals do not adapt well to any sort of change.

Indo-Pacific
Reefs here are are generally located around the South-East Asian islands , such as Philippines and Indonesia, the Northern Australian coast (Great Barrier Reef) , to the Red-Sea and the Persian Gulf. Reefs are also scattered in the Pacific, such as the islands of Polynesia and Hawaii, even extending to the Gulf of California, and west to the east coast of Africa.

Western Atlantic
Western atlantic reefs include the reefs of the Bahamas and of the Carribean, as well as those around Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico . These reefs are separated from the Indo-Pacific ones by the American continent on the west and the African continent from the east, and therefore develop in isolation from the Indo-Pacific reefs.