Munzur Valley National Park | |
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Munzur Vadisi Milli Parkı | |
Location | Tunceli Province, Turkey |
Nearest city | Tunceli |
Coordinates | 39°16′37″N 039°17′33″E / 39.27694°N 39.29250°E |
Area | 420 km2 (160 sq mi) |
Established | December 21, 1971 |
Governing body | Directorate-General of Nature Protection and National Parks Ministry of Environment and Forest |
The Munzur Valley National Park (Turkish: Munzur Vadisi Milli Parkı), established on December 21, 1971, is the largest and the most biodiverse national park in Turkey. It is located at the Munzur Valley of Munzur Mountain Range within Tunceli Province in eastern Anatolia.[1][2]
The Munzur Valley National Park, part of the Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests ecoregion, is one of the richest floristic areas of Anatolia. The national park was established to protect the region's wildlife and scenic beauty.[3]
The protected area is administered by the Directorate-General of Nature Protection and National Parks (Turkish: Doğa Koruma ve Milli Parklar Genel Müdürlüğü) of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, although even outside of the administered area the landscape is very well preserved.[1] A large part of this may be due to the Alevi inhabitants of the region, who respect nature as part of their religious beliefs.[4]