Coral reefs are found in tropical and subtropical waters, generally between 300C North and 300C South latitude. They also be divided biogeographically into the Indo-Pacific (Indian ocean and Pacific ocean regions) and the Atlantic region. However, there is a vast difference in the diversity of coral species found in the two regions. The coral reefs in the Atlantic oceans have approximately 70 species of reef building coral, whereas the Indo-Pacific region has approximately 500 species of reef building coral. The hotspot of coral biodiversity are found in South East Asia (e.g. Indonesia, Philippines)
