The Aquarium of the Pacific (formerly called the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit aquarium

Aquarium

An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...

 located on a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) site on Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is situated across the water from the Long Beach Convention Center, Shoreline Village, and the Queen Mary

RMS Queen Mary

RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...

 Hotel and Attraction.

The Aquarium sees 1.5 million visitors a year and has a total staff of over 900 people including more than 300 employees and about 650 volunteers.

The Aquarium is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Association of Zoos and Aquariums

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...

 (AZA).
The Aquarium features a collection of over 11,000 animals representing over 500 different species.