Deosai National Park

The blooming Deosai Plains, Deosai National Park.

The "Endless Plains" of Deosai National Park.

Deosai Lake and the Deosai Plains, Deosai National Park.

The Deosai National Park (Urdu: دیوسائی نیشنل پارک) is located in the Skardu, Astore Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan province, in northernmost Pakistan. The park is located on the Deosai Plains of the Greater Kashmir geographic region. Deosai means the "Land of Giants".

Geography

Deosai National Park is at an average elevation of 4,114 metres (13,497 ft) above the sea level, making the Deosai Plains the second highest plateau in the world, after the adjacent Tibetan Plateau. The park protects an area of 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi). It is well known for its rich flora and fauna of the Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe ecoregion. In the Spring season it is covered by sweeps wildflowers and a wide variety of butterflies.

Deosai - Sheosar Lake

Deosai Lake, or Sheosar Lake from the Shina language meaning "Blind lake" (Sheo - Blind, Sar - lake) is in the park. The lake, at an elevation of 4,142 metres (13,589 ft), is one of the highest lakes in the world. Its length is 2.3 kilometres (7,500 ft), width 1.8 kilometres (5,900 ft) and average depth 40 metres (130 ft). It is located near the Chilim Valley on the Deosai Plains.

Wildlife

The Deosai National Park was established in 1993 to protect the survival of the Himalayan Brown Bear, Pakistan's largest omnivore, and its habitat. Having long been a prize kill for poachers and hunters, the bear now has a hope for survival in Deosai where its number has increased from only 19 in 1993 to 40 in 2005.

The Deosai Plains are also home to the Himalayan Ibex, Red Fox, Golden Marmot, Gray Wolf, the Ladakh Urial, the Snow Leopard, and over 124 resident and migratory birds. Birds in the park include the Golden Eagle, Lammergeier, Griffon Vulture, Laggar Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Snowcock.

Access

Location of Deosai National Park in Gilgit Baltistan and Greater Kashmir region

Coordinates: 34°56′N 75°25′E / 34.94°N 75.42°E / 34.94; 75.42 The Deosai Plains and Deosai National Park can be accessed via two routes. One is through Skardu City and the second through Astore District .The road from Astore starts from Chilum, continues through the plains and is asphalt road till the main lake before climbing to Deosai. The route from Skardu is via an unpaved road which can be hiked in two days. By jeep it is only a matter of hours. Deosai Lake is located in Gilgit-Baltistan. The beauty of Himalayas is visible everywhere around Deosai.

Cultural references

Herodotus

Research by the French ethnologist Michel Peissel makes a claim that the story of 'Gold-digging ants' reported by the Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BC, was founded on the golden Himalayan Marmot of the Deosai plateau and the habit of local tribes such as the Minaro to collect the gold dust excavated from their burrows.^[1]

In film

The documentary film series Land of the Tiger, in episode 5 - the "Mountains of the Gods," features the plants and animals of Deosai.

See also

• Karakoram Mountains
• List of national parks of Pakistan

References

1. ^ Peissel, Michel. "The Ants' Gold: The Discovery of the Greek El Dorado in the Himalayas". Collins, 1984. ISBN 978-0002725149.

External links

• Wikimedia Atlas of Pakistan
• Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF) - Islamabad, Pakistan
• Northern-areas.org: Pakistan Northern Areas - renamed Gilgit-Baltistan province

Photos

• KALEEM,S PICS of DEOSAI
• Asher Yaqub Khan's Deosai Photos
• http://www.pbase.com/waqas/deosai_plains - Photos from Deosai Plains by Waqas Usman
• Imran Ahmed's Photo gallery
• SufiBlade's photo album