Jim Corbett National Park
Jim Corbett National Park is a part of the larger Corbett Tiger Reserve, It is a Project Tiger Reserve lies in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. The magical landscape of Corbett is well known and fabled for its tiger richness. It established in the year 1936 as Hailey National Park, Corbett has the glory of being India's oldest and most prestigious National Park. It is also being honored as the place where Project Tiger was first launched in 1973.
Corbett Tiger Reserve is an ideal home for many majestic animals like the Royal Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Elephant, Reptiles, Birds and many other wild animals.
Corbett Tiger Reserve has captured the imagination of many with its diverse wildlife and breathtaking landscapes. The natural uniqueness of the area was recognized long ago as a result of which in 1936 Corbett attained the distinction of becoming the first National Park to be established in mainland Asia. The park was then named as the 'Hailey National Park' and was later renamed as 'Corbett National Park' after James Edward Corbett the noted hunter turned conservationist of the area. The area came under 'Project Tiger' in 1971 when Gov. of India launched this ambitious conservation project.
Corbett tiger reserve is located in Ramnagar in Nainital district. The distinctive features of the park are
- It has sub Himalayan belts
- It is a best eco-tourism destination
- It has 488 different species of plants
- Rich fauna
- The climate is sub-tropical
- It has Sonanadi, Bijrani, Jhirna, Dhela, Durgadevi, Dhikala & Garjiya Tourism Zones.
LOCATION: The park is located between 29°25' and 29°39'N latitude and between 78°44' and 79°07'E longitude.The reserve, located partly along a valley between the Lesser Himalaya in the north and the Shivaliks in the south, has a sub-Himalayan belt structure.The upper tertiary rocks are exposed towards the base of the Shiwalik range and hard sandstone units form broad ridges.Characteristic longitudinal valleys, geographically termed Doons, or Duns can be seen formed along the narrow tectonic zones between lineaments.
ALTITUDE: The altitude of the region ranges between 360 m (1,181 ft) and 1,040 m (3,412 ft).It has numerous ravines, ridges, minor streams and small plateaus with varying aspects and degrees of slope.The park encompasses the Patli Dun valley formed by the Ramganga river. It protects parts of the Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests and Himalayan subtropical pine forests ecoregions. It has a humid subtropical and highland climate.
AREA: The present area of the reserve is 1,318.54 square kilometres (509.09 sq mi) including 520 square kilometres (200 sq mi) of core area and 797.72 square kilometres (308.00 sq mi) of buffer area. The core area forms the Jim Corbett National Park while the buffer contains reserve forests (496.54 square kilometres (191.72 sq mi)) as well as the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary (301.18 square kilometres (116.29 sq mi).
CLIMATE: The temperature may vary from 5 °C (41 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F) during the winter and some mornings are foggy. Summer temperatures normally do not rise above 40 °C (104 °F).Rainfall ranges from light during the winter to heavy during the monsoonal summer.
FLORA: A total of 488 different species of plants have been recorded in the park. Tree density inside the reserve is higher in the areas of Sal forests and lowest in the Anogeissus-Acacia catechu forests. Total tree basal cover is greater in Sal dominated areas of woody vegetation.
FAUNA:
More than 586 species of resident and migratory birds have been categorised, including the crested serpent eagle, blossom-headed parakeet and the red junglefowl — ancestor of all domestic fowl. 33 species of reptiles, seven species of amphibians, seven species of fish and 36 species of dragonflies have also been recorded.
Bengal tigers, although plentiful, are not easily spotted due to the abundance of foliage - camouflage - in the reserve.Leopards are found in hilly areas but may also venture into the low land jungles.
In the summer, Indian elephants can be seen in herds of several hundred.The Indian python found in the reserve is a dangerous species, capable of killing a chital deer.
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