Tsingy de Namoroka Strict Nature Reserve

Namoroka National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)

Tsingy located at Namoroka National Park
Location of Namoroka National Park
Location Northwestern Madagascar
Nearest city Soalala, Mahajanga
Area 220.71 km²
Governing body Madagascar National Parks Association (PNM-ANGAP)

Tsingy de Namoroka Strict Nature Reserve, also known as Namoroka National Park, is a strict nature reserve located in the northwestern part of Madagascar in the Mahajanga Province, specifically, the Soalala District.

Contents

History

Namoroka National Park was established in 1927[1] and became a special reserve in 1966.

Climate and geography

Located in the northwestern part of Madagascar about 50 km south of Soalala, Tsingy de Namoroka has a dry season lasting about seven months with a rainy season lasting only five months. The resulting precipitation is about 115 cm per year, while the average temperature hovers around 25°C.

The park is known for its tsingy walls, caves, canyons, and natural swimming pools.

Fauna

Like much of Madagascar, Tsingy de Namoroka is known for its abundant and diverse wildlife. Of its over 81 species of birds, 31 are endemic to Madagascar with 23 other species endemic to Madagascar and other neighboring islands.[2]

Tsingy de Namoroka is also home to over 30 species of reptiles, five types of frogs, and 16 mammals, including eight lemurs.[3] Specifically, Namoroka is home to the following lemur species[3]:

In pop culture

Namoroka was chosen as the code name for the web browser Mozilla Firefox 3.6.[4]

References

  1. ^ The Tsingy de Namoroka National Park Sitesheet. World Database on Protected Areas.
  2. ^ Tsingy de Namoroka. Madagascar National Parks. Retrieved on 2009-03-30.
  3. ^ a b Namoroka. Wild Madagascar. Retrieved on 2009-03-30.
  4. ^ "Firefox 3.6 Namoroka". Mozilla. April 3rd, 2009. Retrieved on 2009-04-04.

See also

External links