Valencia – L’Oceanogràfic

L’Oceanogràfic is the largest complex of its type in Europe with a surface of 110,000 square metres and a water capacity of a whopping 42,000,000 liters. This includes a 26,000,000 liter dolphinarium and a 7,000,000 liter ocean tank with sharks, rays and other fish. There are 45,000 animals of 500 different species including fish, mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates — amongst these are sharks, penguins, dolphins, sea lions, walruses, beluga whales, and more — all inhabiting nine underwater towers. Each tower is structured in two levels and represent the major ecosystems of the planet.

The park is divided into ten areas. The marine areas reflect the Mediterranean habitats, the polar oceans — the Arctic, the islands, the tropical seas, the temperate seas and the Red Sea. The park also includes a dolphinarium, an auditorium with a Red Sea aquarium, an area of mangrove swamps and marshland, and a garden with more than 80 different species of plant.

The architecture of the complex is a work of the architect Félix Candela and the engineers Alberto Domingo and Carlos Lázaro, who made the structural design of the concrete coverings of the buildings. It merges majestically with the work of Santiago Calatrava whom designed a large portion of the other buildings in the Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciències in Valencia.

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