The Age Of Aquariums

LISBON's sparkling new waterworld showcases the growing public interest in the sea and its inhabitants

With its forest of steel masts, miles of cable rigging and giant, sail-shaped glass roof, the new aquarium that opened in Lisbon last week looks like a futuristic ship preparing for exploration. That's as it should be: The aquarium, the largest in Europe, is the centerpiece of Expo '98, a world's fair dedicated to "The Oceans" and timed to celebrate Vasco da Gama's historic voyage from Lisbon to India--via the Cape of Good Hope--500 years ago. But Lisbon's newest tourist attraction is also a symbol of a growing public interest in underwater zoos, especially those created by Peter Chermayeff of the...

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