Ruaha National Park

Ruaha National Park

Infobox_protected_area | name = Ruaha National Park
iucn_category = II



caption =
locator_x =
locator_y =
location = Tanzania
nearest_city = Iringa
lat_degrees =
lat_minutes =
lat_seconds =
lat_direction =
long_degrees =
long_minutes =
long_seconds =
long_direction =
area = 20,200 km²
established = 1964
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = [http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/ TANAPA]

Ruaha National Park is the largest national park in Tanzania. It covers an area of about 20,200 km². It is located in the middle of Tanzania about 130 km from Iringa. The park is part of a more extensive ecosystem which includes Rungwa Game Reserve, Usangu Game Reserve, and several other protected areas.

The name of the park is derived from the Great Ruaha River, which flows along its south-eastern margin and is the focus for game-viewing. The park can be reached by car via Iringa and there is an airstrip at Msembe, park headquarters.

History

The creation of a national park in this area was first proposed in 1949 by the Senior Game Ranger in Mbeya, George Rushby. In 1951 it was gazetted by the British colonial authorities as an extension of the neighbouring Rungwa Game Reserve. People living in the new protected area were subsequently forced to move out. In 1964 it was excised from the game reserve and elevated to full park status.

Wildlife

Ruaha is famous for its large population of Elephants. Presently about 10.000 are roaming the park. Ruaha National Park is also a true birdwatchers paradise: 436 species have been identified of an estimated total of 475. Among the resident birds are different species of Hornbills, Kingfishers and Sunbirds. Also many migrants visit Ruaha, e.g. the White Stork

Other special animals in Ruaha are: the African Wild Dog and Sable Antelope. Rhinoceros were last been sighted in 1982 and are probably extinct in the park due to poaching.

The best times to visit for predators and large mammals is the dry season (May-December) and for birds and flowers, the wet season (January-April).

Environmental change

The park is currently facing a significant environmental challenge from the progressive drying up of the Great Ruaha River. The river used to flow all year round, but since 1993 there have been increasingly long periods every dry season in which it has dried up completely. Different hypotheses have been advanced to account for this, and one view is that it is caused by the expansion of irrigation schemes for rice cultivation and growth of livestock keeping in the Usangu wetland, which feeds the Great Ruaha River (Fox 2004).

Accommodation

There are five lodges in Ruaha: Mwagusi Safari Camp, Mdonya Old River Camp , Ruaha River Lodge, Kwihale and Jongomero Camp. Videos of these lodges may be found at [http://www.tanzaniaodyssey.com/southern--western-tanzania-safaris/ruaha.htm the following site] . There are also several park run public campsites.

References

cite paper
author=Bruce Fox
title=An Overview of the Usangu Catchment, Ihefu Wetland, & Great Ruaha River Ecosystem Environmental Disaster
date=2004
url=http://www.tanzaniasafaris.info/ruaha/Ruaha_River_Disaster.pdf
accessdate=2006-08-09

Official park guide: cite book| title=Ruaha, Tanzania National Parks|date= 2000|id=ISBN 1-77916-008-9

External links

* [http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/ TANAPA, Tanzania National Parks]
* [http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/ruaha.html TANAPA, Ruaha National Park]
* [http://www.friendsofruaha.org/ Friends of Ruaha Society]
* [http://www.sunsafaris.com/maps/area.aspx?lngareaid=35 Map of Ruaha National Park]
*


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ruaha National Park — ▪ park, Tanzania       national park, west of Iringa town in south central Tanzania. The park is located at an elevation of 2,500 to 5,200 feet (750 to 1,900 m) and covers an area of 5,000 square miles (12,950 square km) and was originally part… …   Universalium

  • Ruaha National Park — Ruaha Nationalpark Lage: Zentraltansania Besonderheit: Große Elefantenpopulation Nächste Stadt: Iringa Fläche: 10.300 km² Gründung: 1964 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mikumi National Park — IUCN Category II (National Park) Mikumi National Park …   Wikipedia

  • Arusha National Park — IUCN Category II (National Park) Ngurdoto Crater in the national park …   Wikipedia

  • Kilimanjaro National Park — Parc national de Kilimandjaro Parc national du Kilimandjaro Catégorie II de la CMAP (Parc national) [1] …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Udzungwa Mountains National Park — Der Udzungwa Mountains National Park ist ein 1.900 km² großes Naturschutzgebiet im Zentrum Tansanias südlich des Ruaha und westlich des Kilombero. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Geschichte 2 Ökosysteme 3 Tourismus 4 Siehe auch 5 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mahale Mountains National Park — IUCN Category II (National Park) Satellite image of the park. The borders are outlined in yellow …   Wikipedia

  • Ruaha — RuahaVorlage:Infobox Fluss/GKZ fehlt Lage Tansania Flusssystem RufijiVorlage:Infobox Fluss/FLUSSSYSTEM falsch Vorlage:Infobox Fluss/ABFLUSSWEG fehlt Quell …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lake Manyara national park — Parc national du lac Manyara Parc national du lac Manyara Catégorie II de la CMAP (Parc national) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ruaha-Nationalpark — Ruaha Nationalpark …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”