Nausicaà Centre National de la Mer, Public aquarium in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
Nausicaà Centre National de la Mer is a large marine aquarium in Boulogne-sur-Mer that spreads across several floors and holds 60,000 sea creatures from 1,600 species in tanks containing a combined total of 17 million liters of water. The facility divides into themed zones, each showing different oceans and habitats, from tropical reefs to the dark depths of the open sea.
The center opened in 1991 in a converted former casino, funded in part by the European Union to promote ocean education across Europe. It later expanded several times to accommodate larger tanks and new exhibits.
The name comes from Nausicaa, a princess in Homer's Odyssey known for her connection to the sea. Today, school groups from across northern France come here to walk through the galleries and learn about marine life.
The aquarium opens daily and sits within walking distance from the center of Boulogne-sur-Mer. All floors are accessible by lift, making the route through the building manageable for wheelchair users and families with strollers.
One tank in the building replicates the ecosystem of Colombia's Malpelo Island, an isolated rock formation in the Pacific that is rarely shown in aquariums. Visitors see sharks and other open-ocean fish there that are normally only observed by divers at great depths.
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