The Georgia Aquarium is a public aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It is the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, housing thousands of animals and representing several thousand species, all of which reside in 10e6USgal of marine and salt water. It was the largest aquarium in the world from its opening in 2005 until 2012, when it was surpassed by Marine Life Park in Singapore.
Businessman Bernard Marcus credits his 60th birthday dinner, held at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, with inspiring him to build a great aquarium for Atlanta; his subsequent $250 million donation provided the bulk of the money needed to build and stock the new facility.
The Aquarium's notable specimens include whale sharks, beluga whales, bottlenose dolphins, and manta rays.