Located just next to the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai's bustling financial district of Lujiazui, SOA is divided into 9 different thematic zones, with a collection of more than 450 species of aquatic animals from the five continents and four oceans. The design concept of SOA is to bring visitors along an underwater journey that starts from China and continues throughout the major continents and regions of the world. Each zone in the Aquarium is specially designed to recreate the most natural surroundings for our aquatic animals, and also to enable visitors to experience and admire the uniqueness of every region around the world. SOA is currently the only aquarium in the world to have a separate exhibition zone that showcases aquatic animals from China, particularly rare and precious species from the famous Yangtze River.

For visitors to SOA, your fascinating “round the world” underwater journey begins from the Yangtze River in China, then on to the mysterious flooded forest of the Amazon in South America. Next you will find yourselves at the mangroves and billabongs of Australia. You will then meander through the rivers of Africa before arriving at the rainforests of Southeast Asia. Brave the cold as you go through the icy waters of the Antarctic. The last leg of your journey will take you from the sandy shores to the depths of the ocean. The main highlights from these various zones include the Chinese sturgeon, Giant Salamander, Electric Eels, Spotted seals, Weedy Sea Dragons, Jellyfish, Sand Tiger Sharks... and many more!