NATIONAL PARKS OF AFRICA

A] INTRODUCTION

NATIONAL PARK OF AFRICA

African countries have generally been aware of threat to their animals. Governments have established national parks and protect reserves in almost every country to conserve the tremendous animal wealth.

Park is designed to carry wild animals and at the same time attract tourist. For example people come as tourist for hunting, fishing, or for mountain hiking and this lead to the economy of each country to grow.
Park also acts as a home for wild animals,marine animals,insects and several species of rare plants.

1. BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK (UGANDA)

The park is located in South-Western Uganda at the junction of the plain and mountain forest.It covers 32 000 ha and is known for its exceptional biodiversity with more than 160 species of trees and 100 species of ferns.It has population of about 300 mountain Gorillas.It was initially gazetted as a forest reserve in 1932 and managed both as game and forest reserve from 1961.

The coordinates are -1°04'50.16"S 29°39'41.04"E [-1.0750267°S 29.65684°E]


2. CHOBE NATIONAL PARK (BOTSWANA)
It is the second largest national park in Botswana and it covers 10 556 square kilometers.The park is divided into 4 distinctly different ecosystem: The Serondela with its lush plains and dense forest in the Chobe river area in the extreme north-east,The Savuti marsh in the west and the Linyanti swamps in the North-west


The coordinates are -18°36'15.40"S 24°44'19.80"E [-18.60256675°S 24.736633°E]

3. ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK (NAMIBIA)

The park is situated In the northern Namibia.It was established in 1907 and is located 435 km North of Windhoek.The name “Etosha” means place of dry water.
It covers an area of 22 270 square kilometers.

It is one of Africa’s major wildlife sanctuaries.Etosha is the finest and most popular game reserve in Namibia.Its most famous characteristics is the fact that the area is dominated by a salt span.The salt pan desert is roughly 130 km long and as wide as 50km in places.It has a little rainfall and its hot and dry but attracts plenty of wildlife

The coordinates are -19°08'04.56"S 15°58'08.86"E

[-19.1340933°S 15.9681433°E]


4. KGALAGADI TRANSFRONTEIR PARK (BOTSWANA)

The Gemsbok Park is the continuation of the Kalahari Gemsbok Park in South Africa, from which is separated by the dry riverbed of the Nassob River.It was officially launched on May 12 2002 by South African President and Botswana president. It is located in Kgalagadi District and approximately 865km Southwest of Gaborone.
It covers an area of 9000 square kilometers of Kalahari Desert

The coordinates are -26°10'8.38"S 20°40'53.64"E [-26.16973°S 20.6756067°E]

5. KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (SOUTH AFRICA)

This is the largest game reserve in South Africa and is the world’s most famous game reserve.It was established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of South African lowveld.It covers 18 889 square kilometers.It is approximately 350 km from north to south and stretch from along the northeastern corner of South Africa dividing Limpopo province and Mozambique and overlapping into the south into Mpumalanga province in South Africa.It has 8 entrance gates and 26 camps.

The coordinates are -24°09'53.42"S 31°10'09.63"E

[-24.158903°S 31.1682717°E]

6. MOUNT KENYA NATIONAL PARK (KENYA)

The park is approximately 2095 square kilometers and is located 175 km from Nairobi. It was opened in December 1949.The park has biosphere that covers 715 square kilometers and includes the peaks consisting of all the ground above 32 00 meters.

The coordinates are -0°09'15.42"S 37°19'03.00"E [-0.15257°S 37.3171667°E]

7. NGORONGORO NATIONAL PARK (TANZANIA)

This is quite the most famous of all Africa’s conservation areas.It covers 830 square kilometers and 600 meter deep and is situated in the North-eastern Tanzania.It is home to a permanent population of more than 30 000 animals and it is also have the “big five”, the lion,leopard,elephant,buffalo and rhino.

The coordinates are -°09'08.61"S 35°32'30.48"E [-3.151435°S 35.5384133°E]

8. RWENZORI MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK (UGANDA)

The park covers 100 000 ha in Western Uganda and comprises the main part of the Rwenzori mountains chain,which includes Africa’s third highest peak, mountain Margherita.
It protects the eastern slopes and glacial peaks of the 120 km long Rwenzori Mountains.

The coordinates are 0°12'30.00"N 29°53'58.08"E [0.205°N 29.8930133°E]

9. SALONGA NATIONAL PARK (DRC)

The park was created in 1970.It is Africa’s largest tropical rainforest.It covers
36 000 square kilometers of lowland rain-forest and savanna-forest mosaic.it is situated at the heart of the central basin of the Congo River

The park is very isolated and accessible only by water. It is the habitat of many endemic endangered species such as the dwarf Chimpanzee and forest elephant.

The coordinates are -1°57'34.87"S 21°00'10.29"E [-1.9558117°S 21.001715°E]

10. TAI NATIONAL PARK (COTE d’IVOIRE)

It is the single-largest tract of undisturbed tropical rainforest in west Africa.It was established in 1972. It is a home of 230 birds species, 28 of which are endemic to the Guinean zone.The park contains some of the last rainforest in West Africa.
The coordinates are 5°14'55.83"N -7°25'16.61"W [5.2426383°N -7.419435°W]