Jim Corbett National Park

Jim Corbett National Park
Bengal tiger in Corbett National Park
Map showing the location of Jim Corbett National Park
Map showing the location of Jim Corbett National Park
Map showing the location of Jim Corbett National Park
Map showing the location of Jim Corbett National Park
LocationNainital,Uttarakhand, India
Nearest cityRamnagar, Kotdwar
Coordinates29°32′55″N 78°56′7″E / 29.54861°N 78.93528°E / 29.54861; 78.93528
Area1,318 km2
Established1936
Visitors500,000[1] (in 1999)
Governing bodyProject Tiger, Government of Uttarakhand, Wildlife Warden, Jim Corbett National Park
corbettonline.uk.gov.in

Jim Corbett National Park is a national park in India located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand state. The first national park in India, it was established in 1936 during the British Raj and named Hailey National Park after William Malcolm Hailey, a governor of the United Provinces in which it was then located. In 1956, nearly a decade after India's independence, it was renamed Corbett National Park after the hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett, who had played a leading role in its establishment and had died the year before. The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.[2]

Corbett National Park comprises 520.8 km2 (201.1 sq mi) area of hills, riverine belts, marshy depressions, grasslands and a large lake. The elevation ranges from 1,300 to 4,000 ft (400 to 1,220 m). Winter nights are cold but the days are bright and sunny. It rains from July to September. The park has sub-Himalayan belt geographical and ecological characteristics.[3] Dense moist deciduous forest mainly consists of Shorea robusta (the sal tree), haldu, peepal, rohini and mango trees. Forest covers almost 73 per cent of the park, while 10 per cent of the area consists of grasslands. It houses around 110 tree species, 50 species of mammals, 580 bird species and 25 reptile species.

An ecotourism destination,[4] the park contains 617 different species of plants and a diverse variety of fauna.[5][6] The increase in tourist activities, among other problems, continues to present a serious challenge to the park's ecological balance.[7]

  1. ^ Sinha, B. C.; Thapliyal, M.; K. Moghe, An Assessment of Tourism in Corbett National Park, Wildlife Institute of India, archived from the original on 5 November 2007, retrieved 12 October 2007
  2. ^ Riley & Riley 2005: 208
  3. ^ Tiwari & Joshi 1997: 210
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tiwari4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pant1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Riley & Riley 2005: 210
  7. ^ Tiwariji & Joshiji 1997: 309–311