Charles Darwin (1809-1882) is well known as a naturalist for his work on board the Beagle. When Darwin saw his first coral reef while on board the Beagle he realized that Lyell"s theory that coral reefs formed on the rims of submarine volcanic craters was wrong. Darwin realized that the existence of coral reefs depended upon their proximity to the surface of the ocean; thus Darwin was the first to understand the formation of coral reefs and to publish his observations. The chapters of this book cover atolls or coral Islands, barrier reefs, growth of coral reefs, theory of their formation and distribution.