Britain’s Distant Seas

DESCRIPTION

The waters of the UK Overseas Territories are Britain’s distant seas.

They grant the UK the world’s 5th largest ocean estate and the 12th largest area of coral reefs.

Spanning over 5.5 million km2, these remote watery tracts of the UK are scattered over all Seven Seas and are home to every major aquatic ecosystem on Earth, including temperate kelp forests, tropical coral gardens, seagrass beds, deep sea plains and trenches, little-explored seamounts and recently-discovered ‘black smoker’ geothermal vents.

Countless species of aquatic animals live or feed in the waters around the UK Overseas Territories, including immense numbers of invertebrates, vast shoals of reef fish, whale sharks, rays, dolphins, sea turtles, penguins and seals!

Large expanses of the waters around the UK Overseas Territories remain little explored, and new species and extraordinary discoveries continue to be made.

This book provides a detailed summary of the marine biodiversity and habitats of each UK Overseas Territory, complete with the latest research and findings.

Each of the 16 main chapters of this work explores the marine life of a different UK Overseas Territory and includes a detailed, full-page, custom-drawn map.

Beautifully illustrated with over 350 images, and filled with text contributed by over 100 of residents, conservationists and marine biologists from across the UK Overseas Territories, Britain’s Distant Seas showcases the astounding marine biodiversity of the UK Overseas Territories for the very first time! This work is both a spectacular coffee table photo book and a concise reference volume!

Britain’s Distant Seas was created in partnership with the Friends of the British Overseas Territories.