If you love aquariums then this one has to be on your bucket list to visit. It was on mine for many years! I recently got the chance to visit it and see it in all its glory for myself. Yes, the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom aquarium is the biggest aquarium in the world.
WOW … Was the first word out of my mouth on seeing the main the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom aquarium.
The main aquarium that everyone wants to see is the 68-meter-high Whale Shark Aquarium. It is the largest aquarium in the world.
The 31,000 cubic meter aquarium tank is simply a wonder to behold. The aquarium holds 20,000 rare fish of different species, including manta rays, sharks and sea turtles.
The first words anyone says when they see it is ‘Imagine if the glass cracks and it starts to leak’. I know my children said that.
It features the world’s largest acrylic (not glass) panel (39.6 m x 8.3 m x 0.65 m) aquarium window and viewing domes. These provide the best view possible into the heart of the largest aquarium in the world.
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Where Is The Largest Aquarium In The World?
The Chimelong Ocean Kingdom is a huge theme park. You will find it in Hengqin, Zhuhai, which is in the People’s Republic of China.
It was designed by PGAV Destinations. Work started on the park on the 28th November 2010 and it opened on 28th January 2014. Under 4 years to build a huge ocean-themed fun park is incredible and a testament to the Chinese people.
How Many Gallons Does The Largest Aquarium In The World Hold?
The theme park has many aquariums open to the public and the quarantine facilities alone are simply magnificent.
However, the main attraction is the whale shark aquarium. This alone which holds 48.75 million liters (10.72 million UK gal or 12.87 million US gal) of water!
How Much Did It Cost To Build The Biggest Aquarium In The World?
It is said that the overall theme park cost over 10 billion RMB (Renminbi). The main aquarium alone is estimated to cost over $300 million dollars.
The second-largest aquarium in the world is the Georgia Aquarium which is home to about 500 species in 60 habitats. If you’re lucky enough to visit this aquarium, you’ll see 12,000 square feet of viewing windows. The cost of the windows was $290 million.
World Record Breaker
The main aquarium in the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom holds three world records.
- The largest window in the world – 389.33 m² (4,190 ft² 102 in²)
- The largest aquarium in the world – 48.75 million liters (10.72 million UK gal; 12.87 million US gal)
- The largest underwater dome
Read the amazing facts in the Guinness Book Of Records here!
Top 10 Largest Aquarium In The World
There are many large aquariums across the globe. We have narrowed it down to the TOP 10 PUBLIC AQUARIUMS in the world.
| Rank | Name | Location | Size ( Million Gallons ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chimelong Ocean Kingdom | China | 12.9 |
| 2. | Marine Life Park | Singapore | 12.0 |
| 3. | Oceanografic | Spain | 11.0 |
| 4. | Georgia Aquarium | United States | 10.0 |
| 5. | Moscow Oceanarium | Russia | 6.6 |
| 6. | The Seas with Nemo & Friends | United States | 5.7 |
| 7. | Shedd Aquarium | United States | 5.0 |
| 8. | uShaka Marine World | South Africa | 4.6 |
| 9. | Atlantic Sea Park | Norway | 4.0 |
| 10. | Ambassador Lagoon | United Arab Emirates | 2.9 |
1.Chimelong Ocean Kingdom
The Chimelong Ocean Kingdom is the largest aquarium in the world, with one aquarium alone holding 12.87 million gallons.
The Ocean Theme Park offers seven different aquatic-themed sections each representing the different parts of the ocean. The Chimelong Ocean Kingdom also has the largest underwater dome which is listed in the Guinness Book Of Records. The main aquarium also has the largest window in the world, behind which holds the largest fish in the world.
2.Marine Life Park
Visitors will find the Marine Life Park in Singapore. The Marine Life Park is part of the Resorts World Sentosa, Sentosa in southern Singapore.
This 20 Acre resort is home to two theme parks, the S E A Aquarium, which up until 2014 was the largest aquarium in the world and the Adventure Cove Waterpark.
The main aquarium holds 12 million gallons and is home to an amazing 800 fish species. It houses the biggest collection of Manta Rays and is the only aquarium to house a Gigantic Ocean Ray.
3.Oceanografic
Located in the avant-garde architectural complex of Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències in Valencia.
This public aquarium was designed with education in mind and has a focus on marine biology. It’s not as themed as some of the other aquariums and is certainly not like Disney’s Nemo park. It still offers an amazing day out and still has an impressive 11 Million Gallons of water.
There are 45,000 animals of 500 different species. These include fish, mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates, dolphins, Sea Lions, Penguins and Beluga Whales.
As a result, any aquarist who loves to learn, and parents who have education in mind for their children will have the most amazing visit to this aquarium. A great fun, day out!
4.Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States should and is on every aquarists bucket list to visit. You will often hear some people say that it has the largest aquarium in the world. However, this information is outdated.
They have an impressive 10 million gallons of water but their biggest aquarium only holds closer to 6 million gallons of water. Impressive, but it pales in comparison to Ocean Kingdom in China.
It has to be said that when it opened in 2005 it was the biggest single aquarium in the world right up until 2012.
The aquarium was mainly funded by the Home Depot owner Bernard Marcus. He is said to have donated $250 Million Dollars to build and stock this impressive aquarium which is open to the public.
The aquariums main attraction is a Whale Shark and this is the only aquarium outside Asia to house one. They also have an impressive collection of 700 species of fish and other sea creatures.
This has to be on everyone’s list to visit and will be in the TOP 10 PUBLIC AQUARIUMS for a very long time.
5.Moscow Oceanarium
Visitors to the Moscow Aquarium will find it on Chistye Purdy. Situated in the city center, it is easily found and handy for public transport.
The best part of Oceanarium is a huge tunnel aquarium. This tunnel gives you an amazing view of the aquarium from all sides. You can often see divers cleaning the acrylic tunnel and also hand-feeding the fish.
The tunnel is made from super strong acrylic glass. It is 12 centimeters thick and there are two of these, each with 500 thousand liters of ocean water.
Again, this is nowhere near the size of some other aquariums. However, it definitely has one of the best underwater tunnels.
The cost to visit is very reasonable when you compare it to some of the others and is on average around 100-300 rubles and the aquarium is also open 7 days a week.
6.The Seas with Nemo & Friends
This aquarium definitely falls under the category as a ‘Theme Park’ as you would expect from Disney.
But don’t be fooled by the name Disney, it still has one of the biggest aquariums anywhere to be seen. With nearly 6 million gallons in one aquarium, the overall experience is amazing.
This is one for children and adults alike. It is part of the Walt Disney Resort located in the Epcot Centre. This impressive facility has several exhibits dedicated to Ocean Marine Life.
The Living Seas opened to the public on January 15, 1986. It was the largest aquarium until 2005 when the Georgia Aquarium opened its doors to the public and just beat this aquarium with their 6 million gallon aquarium.
This aquarium underwent a massive overhaul in 2003 when it was then called ‘ The Living Seas’. As a result of the popularity of ‘Finding Nemo’ Walt Disney resort invested millions of dollars in a total refurbishment of the park.
This is one of the best aquariums for all the family!
7.Shedd Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium (formally the John G Shedd Aquarium) is a dedicated aquarium for research and education. It first opened its doors to the public on May 30th, 1930.
Attracting over 2 million visitors a year, it is one of the most-visited aquariums in the United States.
It has one of the largest collections of marine life and animals with over 132 Exhibits and 32,000 animals.
There are several main exhibits at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago which include: Waters of the World, Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising, Wild Reef, and the Abbott Oceanarium.
For something different, you have to try their 4-D Cinema!
8.uShaka Marine World
The biggest Public aquarium in South Africa is the uShaka Marine World. It is set in 40 acres of land. This aquarium was opened on the 30th April 2004 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The aquarium has 32 tanks that are all themed and based around shipwrecks.
One of the main attractions are the huge sharks. The park offers visitors a chance to dive with the sharks or watch them feeding. Visitors to thShark areas will see many different varieties of shark including ragged-tooth sharks, spinner sharks, hammerhead sharks, and local catsharks, large rays including eagle rays.
This amazing aquarium is listed as the 5th largest aquarium in the world and is certainly worth a visit.
9.Atlantic Sea Park
The Atlantic Sea-Park is one of Scandinavia’s largest saltwater aquariums and one of the leading tourist attractions. It was opened in 1998. The Sea Park houses 11 larger landscape aquariums, including 2 open touch pools and 2 activity pools, as well as several smaller aquariums.
The main aquarium holds over 1 million gallons and is built with 10-inch thick glass.
The aquarium boasts the largest seawater tanks in Europe, filled with cold-water fish native to this area. Pumped full of unfiltered seawater, this tank provides the setting for a daily show. During the show, the public can watch a diver hand-feeding the resident fish.
The aquariums may not hold an exotic selection of fish but they do hold many local species of fish. Some of which some are very large and spectacular especially when being fed.
10.Ambassador Lagoon
As part of the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai, the Ambassador Lagoon is an 11-million-liter aquarium. It is listed at number ten in our largest aquariums in the world list.
This aquarium is also the largest open-air aquarium in Africa and The Middle East at just over three million gallons. The aquarium holds over 65,000 marine animals. The lagoon’s viewing pane, located in Poseidon’s Court, is 10 meters long and 70cm thick. This provides guests a unique window into the underwater world of Atlantis.
It has to be said that the service and overall experience here is second to none. The hotel and aquarium staff are the best we have ever witnessed which makes your visit that extra special.
Not the biggest aquarium by any measure but in my opinion one of the best.
Conclusion: Largest Aquarium In The World
No matter which aquarium you visit, they are all amazing and offer an insight into the wonders of the ocean close up.
From the smallest damselfish to a 33ft whale shark, there’s something for everyone as long as they love fish and aquariums.
Let us know which one you have visited and why you love it.
I have been working in the tropical fish industry for over 30 years now and I’m still learning. Everyday is a school day in this hobby. In my spare time I play golf very badly!