▷ 7 largest aquariums in the world – More than 325,000 baths

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Around the world they are one of the most popular attractions for tourists and locals alike: aquariums. The pools are filled with often exotic and diverse fish species, giving visitors a glimpse of the underwater world that often remains hidden. Mammals such as dolphins can also be admired in many aquariums, but large tanks are essential for their well-being. In recent years, a real competition for the largest aquarium has developed, and many countries want to be world leaders. The seven largest aquariums in the world are presented here.

7th place: Shedd Aquarium, 18.9 million liter capacity, Chicago, USA

SebastianRueckoldt, John G Shedd Aquarium Chicago 040724, marked as public domain, details on Wikimedia Commons

The Shedd Aquarium in the American city of Chicago is a time-honoured institution. It opened in 1929, making it one of the oldest indoor aquariums in the world. 126,000 standard bathtubs could be filled with 18.9 million liters of water. The entrance to the aquarium is designed in the form of a temple, the building is located on the Museum Campus Chicago. That’s why there’s also the Natural History Museum and the Adler Planetarium to see nearby.
The aquarium is divided into eight major exhibits designed to capture the diversity of marine life around the world.

Many tropical fish from the waters of the Amazon can be found in «Amazon Rising». The aquariums are tropically decorated and stocked with many well-known fish species such as the dreaded piranhas. In addition, the world of the Amazon is explained on information boards.

In the «Caribbean Reef» visitors can visit the Caribbean. Turtles and large rays alternate with small, colorful fish in the many corals.
The «Polar Play Zone» is dedicated to the arctic waters and contains, among other things, penguins.

The «Wild Reef» is modeled on the Indian Ocean, real sharks can be seen here. At Home on the Great Lakes is the facility’s home aquarium and focuses on the underwater world of the Great Lakes. Waters of the World consists of several small tanks that showcase fish and other sea creatures from around the world. In the «Abbott Oceanium» large marine mammals are presented. Here you can see dolphins, otters and seals. The last exhibit, «Underwater Beauty», is about colorful inhabitants of the seabed such as crabs or small, tropical fish.

6th place: The Seas with Nemo & Friends, 21.6 million liter capacity, Bay Lake, USA

DearCatastropheWaitress at English Wikipedia, The entrance to ‘The Seas With Nemo & Friends’ at Epcot, CC BY-SA 3.0

This aquarium is part of Epcot Future World, a section of World Disney Resorts in Florida. As the name of the aquarium suggests, the facility is primarily geared towards the Disney film «Finding Nemo». Among other things, there is an adventure trip on a boat in which visitors can experience the events of the film. Otherwise there is the «Sea Base», which consists of several pools and contains various sea creatures.

In one tank you can see manatees from the Caribbean, in another there are jellyfish and seahorses to discover. There are also dolphins, tiger sharks, rays and turtles in the «Sea Base». The capacity of 21.6 million liters of water is enough to fill about 144,000 bathtubs with water. In addition to «The Seas with Nemo & Friends», there are many other attractions in Epcot and the Disney Resort that can be easily combined with a visit to the aquarium.

5th place: Moscow Oceanarium, 25 million liter capacity, Moscow, Russia

Dmitry Ivanov., VDNKh Moskvarium, CC BY-SA 4.0

The largest aquarium in Russia can hold 25 million liters of water, which is equivalent to 167,000 bathtubs. There are over 8,000 different species of underwater creatures to discover at the Oceanarium, including the Russian sturgeon, which the aquarium is particularly proud of. Construction of the aquarium began in 2013, and the first guests were welcomed in 2015. There is a large section on Russian waters presenting fish and other creatures from the seas, rivers and lakes of Russia.
There is also a tropical section where various creatures from the tropical waters around the world are introduced. Galapagos tortoises, clown fish and manta rays can be found here. The White Sea, a stretch of Atlantic Ocean north of Russia, is also one of the important parts of the aquarium. The arctic inhabitants of the sea are presented in detail.

In addition, the Moscow Oceanarium advertises various species of sharks that are up to three meters long, dolphins and orcas that swim in huge tanks and are also fed during live shows. There is also a large auditorium where educational films related to the underwater world from around the world are shown.

4th place: Georgia Aquarium, 37.9 million liter capacity, Atlanta, USA

Zac Wolf, Male whale shark at Georgia Aquarium, CC BY-SA 2.5

America’s largest aquarium is in Atlanta. A full 253,000 bathtubs need to be filled with water to fill the Georgia Aquarium’s tanks. The facility opened in 2005 and was the largest aquarium in the world for seven years before being supplanted by another aquarium on the list.

The pride of the aquarium are the beluga whales, five of which are currently in Atlanta. They are over 10 meters long and are also fed by the staff during shows.
There are seven exhibits here, into which the aquarium is divided. River Scout features American freshwater fish, but piranhas and eels are also housed in the area. «Cold Water Quest» shows sea creatures from the polar regions, including penguins and the beluga whales.

«Ocean Voyager» is the largest exhibit and contains thousands of fish, a huge coral reef and whales. Visitors can view the fish from all sides through a glass tunnel. «Tropical Diver» shows tropical sea creatures from the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean. The «Dolphin Celebration» is all about dolphins, and several shows are also offered here. In the «Suntrust Pier 225» there are only sea lions to be discovered. The newest area is the «Discovery Zone», where visitors can immerse themselves in the world’s oceans with VR glasses.

3rd place: Oceanografic, 41.6 million liter capacity, Valencia, Spain

Léodras, Oceanographic Entrée, CC BY-SA 4.0

In the largest aquarium in Europe, the animals are divided according to habitat, 277,000 bathtubs can be filled with the water from the aquarium. There is the Antarctic area where penguins are the main attraction. In the arctic area, on the other hand, beluga whales and walruses can be admired. Outside is the crocodile reserve, where residents are allowed to roam both a spacious land and water area. The Dolphinarium is set up like an arena with a huge water tank for the dolphins in the middle. Shows are presented there every day.

In the bird world, various bird species are presented that have a lot to do with the water world. The tropical pools feature colorful fish in coral reefs and small sharks. There are also areas for sea lions, Mediterranean fish, lake dwellers, turtles and jellyfish. The large underwater tunnels give visitors the chance to immerse themselves in the world of fish.

2nd place: Marine Life Park, 45 million liter capacity, Sentosa, Singapore

ProjectManhattan, SEA aquarium Singapore, CC BY-SA 3.0

It takes 300,000 bathtubs to hold the water in the Marine Life Park. The aquarium has primarily chosen the waters around Asia and between the Indonesian islands as attractions.

In the «Java Sea» area you can see various tropical fish from the area around the island. «Andaman Sea» is the name of the area that deals with the sea off the coast of Myanmar. Here you can see starfish and sea cucumbers. The Bay of Bengal also has its own section where you can see eels, clown fish and lobsters.
In addition, the open oceans are introduced, where dolphins, jellyfish, leopard sharks and sand sharks as well as many different crabs are presented. The «East Africa» ​​area is dedicated to freshwater fish from the African lakes. There is also a water park here, where swimming pools and water slides can be found.

1st place: Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, 48.8 million liters capacity, Zhuhai, China

ProjectManhattan, SEA aquarium 2, CC0 1.0

The currently largest aquarium in the world is in China and can fill 325,000 bathtubs with water. There are aquarium areas here, which are also always connected with attractions from an amusement park. There is the «Dolphin Cove» where dolphins can be seen in a pool and next door there is a pool with spinning plates where visitors can spray water guns on each other.

The Amazing Amazon features fish from the arms of the Amazon and a roller coaster designed to resemble the rainforest. «Ocean Beauty» deals with the larger sea creatures in the deeper reaches of the world’s oceans. Whales, sharks and big fish can be seen here, and visitors can dive through the pool on a submarine.
Penguins, beluga whales and polar bears can be seen at Polar Horizon, and there is also a water roller coaster. At Hero Island, visitors can see small fish in coral reef tanks, as well as otters and rays. There is also a breeding center for orcas here.

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