Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe National Park
Chimpanzee female with baby chimp
Chimpanzees at Gombe NP
Map showing the location of Gombe National Park
Map showing the location of Gombe National Park
LocationKigoma District, Tanzania
Nearest cityKigoma
Coordinates4°40′S 29°38′E / 4.667°S 29.633°E / -4.667; 29.633
Area35 km2 (14 sq mi)
Established1968
Visitors1854 (in 2012[1])
Governing bodyTanzania National Parks Authority
Websitewww.tanzaniaparks.go.tz

Gombe Stream National Park is a national park in Kigoma District of Kigoma Region in Tanzania, 16 km (10 mi) north of Kigoma, the capital of Kigoma Region.[2] Established in 1968, it is one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania, with only 35 km2 (13.5 sq mi) of protected land along the hills of the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika.[2][3] The terrain is distinguished by steep valleys, and the vegetation ranges from grassland to woodland to tropical rainforest.[4] Accessible only by boat, the park is most famous as the location where Jane Goodall pioneered her behavioural research on the common chimpanzee populations.[2][3] The Kasakela chimpanzee community, featured in several books and documentaries, lives in Gombe National Park.[5]

Besides chimpanzees, primates inhabiting Gombe Stream National Park include beachcomber olive baboons, red colobus, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and vervet monkeys.[2][6] Red-tailed monkeys and blue monkeys have also been known to hybridize in the area.[7] The park is also home to over 200 bird species[2] and bushpigs.[4] There are also many species of snakes, and occasional hippopotami and African leopards.[6]

  1. ^ "Tanzania National parks Corporate Information". Tanzania Parks. TANAPA. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e Tanzania National Parks: “Gombe Stream National Park” Archived 2012-09-15 at the Wayback Machine, 2008.
  3. ^ a b The Jane Goodall Institute: “Gombe Stream Research Centre”, 2008.
  4. ^ a b PBS: Nature- “Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees”, 1996.
  5. ^ Goodall, J. (1986). The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behaviour. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-674-11649-8.
  6. ^ a b African Ape Study Sites: “Gombe National Park, Tanzania” Archived 2010-06-21 at the Wayback Machine, 1999.
  7. ^ Detwiler, K. M. (2004-01-01). "Hybridization between Red-tailed Monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius) and Blue Monkeys (C. mitis) in East African Forests". In Glenn, M. E.; Cords, M. (eds.). The Guenons: Diversity and Adaptation in African Monkeys. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer US. pp. 79–97. doi:10.1007/0-306-48417-X_7. ISBN 978-0-306-47346-3.