A National Park in India is a protected area for the purpose of propagating or developing wildlife and its environment. Here is a list of top 10 largest national parks in India.
Top 10 largest national parks in India
1. Hemis National Park
Area | State/UT | Established |
3350 sq km | Ladakh | 1981 |
*It is a high altitude NP famous for its snow leopards.
2. Desert National Park
Area | State/UT | Established |
3162 sq km | Rajasthan | 1992 |
*It is located in Thar desert.
*The critically endagered Great Indian bustard is the greatest attraction of the park.
3. Gangotri National Park
Area | State/UT | Established |
2390.02 sq km | Uttarakhand | 1989 |
*The Gangotri glacier from where the Bhagirathi river originates is located inside the Gangotri National Park.
4. Namdapha National Park
Area | State/UT | Established |
1807.82 sq km | Arunachal Pradesh | 1983 |
*The Namdapha flying squirrel is a critically endagered species found in the park. Some fear that the species is already extinct.
*Namdapha National Park is home to four big cats- Tiger, common leopard, clouded leopard and snow leopard.
5.Khangchendzonga National Park
Area | State/UT | Established |
1784 sq km | Sikkim | 1977 |
*Khangchendzonga National Park is also a UNESCO world heritage site.
*The name Khangchendzonga is an alternate spelling of Kanchenjunga.
6. Guru Ghasidas (Sanjay) National Park
Area | State/UT | Established |
1440.705 sq km | Chhattisgarh | 1981 |
*It is the largest NP in Chhattisgarh and is now declared a Tiger reserve (November, 2019).
7. Sunderban National Park
Area | State/UT | Established |
1330.1 sq km | West bengal | 1984 |
*Sunderban NP is located on the Ganges delta and is one of the largest reserves for the Royal Bengal Tiger.
8. Indravati (Kutru) National Park
Area | State/Ut | Established |
1258.37 sq km | Chhattisgarh | 1982 |
*The Indravati (Kutru) National Park got its name from the Indravati river that flows nearby.
*It is home to the endagered Wild Asian Buffalo.
9. Papikonda National Park
Area | State/UT | Established |
1012 .86 | Andhra Pradesh | 2008 |
*It is one of the newest National Parks in India.
*It is listed as an important Bird and Biodiversity area (IBA).
10. Bandipur National Park
Area | State/UT | Established |
874.2 sq km | Karnataka | 1974 |
*It is one of the foremost tiger reserves in India..
Quick question
When is Earth day celebrated every year?
Some additional facts about National parks in India
- The first National Park in India was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park which in now known as Jim Corbett National Park. It is located in Uttarakhand state.
- There are a total of 104 National Parks in India.
- National Parks cover an area of 40,501.13 sq km which is 1.23 % of the total geographical area of India.
Disclaimer: The stats are as per National Wildlife Database, May, 2019.
This is the end of the article
Read more
Charismatic megafauna of India that are now threatened species
Answer to quick question
22 April