Kruger National Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kruger National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
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| Location | Mpumalanga, South Africa |
| Nearest city | Nelspruit, South Africa |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 18,989 km² |
| Established | January 1, 1926 |
| Visitors | 1,336,981 (in 2004) |
| Governing body | South African National Parks |
Kruger National Park is the largest game reserve in South Africa. It covers 18,989 square km (7,332 sq mi) and extends 350 km (217 mi) from north to south and 60 km (37 mi) from east to west.
To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is Mozambique. It is now part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace park that links Kruger National Park with the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and with the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.
The park is part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere, an area designated by the United Nations Education and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) as an International Man and Biosphere Reserve (the "Biosphere").
The park is the site of the popular, eyewitness viral video, Battle at Kruger.
Contents |
[edit] Flora and fauna
[edit] Plants
The Kruger National Park is divided into six eco-systems: Baobab sandveld, Mopane scrub, Lebombo knobthorn-marula bushveld, mixed acacia thicket, Combretum-silver clusterleaf woodland on granite and riverine forest. Altogether it has 1,982 species of plants.
[edit] Birds
Out of the 517 species of birds found at Kruger, 253 are residents, 117 non-breeding migrants, and 147 nomads. Also, eagles can be found there.
[edit] Mammals
All the Big Five game animals are found at Kruger National Park, which has more species of mammals than any other African Game Reserve (at 147 species). There are webcams set up to observe the wild life. [1]
As of 2004, the park has counted approximately:
- 25,150 African Buffalo
- 200 African Hunting Dogs
- 350 Black Rhinoceros
- 32,000 Burchell's Zebras
- 500 Bushbucks
- 200 Cheetahs
- 300 Common Eland
- 9,000 Giraffes
- 5,000 Greater Kudus
- 3,000 Hippopotamus
The park stopped culling elephants in 1989 and tried translocating them, but by 2004 the population had increased to 11,670 elephants (2006: approximately 13,500). The park's habitats can only sustain about 8,000 elephants. The park started using annual contraception in 1995, but has stopped that due to problems with delivering the contraceptives and upsetting the herds.
The Kruger National Park holds over 48 tons of ivory in storage. According to Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), it is allowed to sell 30 tons.
[edit] Accommodation
The Kruger National Park has 21 rest camps, as well as 7 private lodge concessions, and 11 designated private safari lodges. The concessions are parcels of land operated by private companies in partnership with communities, who outsource the operation of private lodges.
[edit] Wilderness trails
Nine different trails are on offer in the Kruger National Park, some are overnight and last several days in areas of wilderness virtually untouched by humans. There are no set trails in the wilderness areas; you walk along paths made by animals or seek out new routes through the bush.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
[edit] Tourism
- Official Homepage for South African National Parks
- Kruger National Park travel guide from Wikitravel
- Webcams in the Kruger
- Interesting video from Kruger National Park
[edit] Map
- Map of Kruger National Park & surrounding reserves
- Kruger National Park Map
- Kruger National Park Map with camps, waterholes and dams marked
- Kruger National Park Google Earth layer (2MB .kmz file) including travel (lodges and restcamps, roads, gates, airstrips, distances), ecological (biomes, rainfall, animal census) and historical (evolution of the park since 1884) layers.
