World Reef Awareness Day 1 Jun 2025

"Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there," Sebastian the crab once told Ariel. But are we doing enough to protect that underwater world? On June 1, we celebrate World Reef Awareness Day, a time to recognise the beauty—and fragility—of coral reef ecosystems. One magnificent example is the New Caledonian barrier reef, which wraps around Grande Terre, New Caledonia"s largest island. At over 930 miles long, it"s one of the longest continuous barrier reefs in the world. Its vast 9,300-square-mile lagoon is home to over 2,300 fish species, endangered dugongs, green sea turtles and migrating humpback whales.

© Karsten Wrobel/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Blue as far as the eye can see
Beauty beneath the surface
1 Jun 2024Pride Month
1 Jun 2026Palermo, Sicily, Italy

More Desktop Wallpapers:

11 Feb 2026Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park, California, USA
12 Jun 2026European bee-eater in Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, Cádiz, Spain
24 Oct 2025Night view of the RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California, United States
1 Nov 2025Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain
A day for giving
7 Jan 2025Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand
1 Oct 2025Welcome to Black History Month
7 Jan 2026Old Rock Day
6 Jun 202581st anniversary of D-Day
4 Dec 2024Wildlife Conservation Day
20 Mar 2025Spring equinox
A mountaintop cultural wonder
26 Jun 2026The River Thames, London
7 Jan 2024Great Staple Tor, Dartmoor National Park
World Elephant Day
Sway with the Amazonian canopy
4 Jul 2024Italica, an old Roman city in Santiponce, Andalusia, Spain
29 May 20261953 Mount Everest Expedition
Pier perfect
13 Sep 2024Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA
19 Oct 2025Apples ready for harvest, Minnesota, United States
3 May 2024The Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA
29 Apr 2024Fujian Tulou, China
11 Mar 2026Peach trees in Cieza, Murcia, Spain
30 Mar 2025Mothering Sunday
Secluded sands in Mexico
27 Nov 2025Eastbourne Pier, East Sussex, England
23 Oct 2025International Day of the Snow Leopard
In hot water
8 Dec 2025Christmas lights on buildings of Domaso, Lake Como, Italy