Georgia Aquarium, Public aquarium in downtown Atlanta, United States
The Georgia Aquarium is a public facility with seven main galleries in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The largest tank system holds around 6.3 million gallons (24 million liters) and houses whale sharks, manta rays, and thousands of other species from different ocean regions around the planet.
Bernard Marcus, a co-founder of The Home Depot, provided a donation of 250 million dollars in 2005 so the facility could open. The institution was at the time the largest aquarium in the world and attracted several million visitors already in its first year.
The building takes its name from the state, and many visitors see ocean creatures from around the world here for the first time. School groups regularly use the large viewing tanks to learn more about protecting the oceans and to better understand life below the surface.
The building sits near Centennial Olympic Park in the center and can be reached on foot from several hotels and restaurants. Most visitors spend about three to four hours inside to view all the areas and presentations at a comfortable pace.
The facility is among the few institutions outside Asia where whale sharks live, and currently houses four of these giant filter feeders. The animals are regularly fed by divers who communicate with hand signals so that each shark receives its portion.
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