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National Parks in India, Check Full List

National Parks in India: National parks in India serve as a suitable place for the conservation of animals by providing them natural habitat and hunting. India is a country that is rich in biodiversity. We have a diverse range of flora and fauna. The Indo-himalayan ecozone contains about 6.2% of reptiles, 7.6% of mammals, 6.0% of flowering plants and 12.6% of bird species. The forest cover ranges from tropical rainforests in the Western Ghats and northeastern India to coniferous forests in the Himalayan region.

National Parks in India

A national park is an area that is strictly reserved with the aim of improving wildlife and biodiversity. Activities like developmental, forestry, poaching, hunting, and grazing on cultivation are strictly prohibited in National Parks and are considered punishable crimes. The government of India can declare an area as a national park that has adequate ecological, geomorphological, and natural significance. Indian wildlife has over 100 world-recognized national parks. All these national parks have been recognized by the IUCN or the International Union for the Conservation of Nature under the second category of protected areas.

There is at least one national park in each state that displays the vivid flora and fauna of the region. We are providing you with a list of important National Parks. It is an integral part of Static GK that might appear in any of the upcoming examinations.

How many National Parks are in India?

There is a total of 106 national parks in India covering an area of 44,378 KM2, which is 1.35% of the geographical area of the country, according to the survey in December 2020. There are 75 other National Parks covering an area of 16,608 km2 proposed in the Protected Area Network Report.  The network of parks will go up by 176 after the full implementation.

Largest National Parks in India

Here is the list of the top 10 largest national parks in India in descending order starting from the largest one. Candidates can refer to the area of the national parks as shown below.

  1. Hemis National Park [Area (km Square): 4,400.0]: Hemis National Park is a high altitude national park in Ladakh, India. Which is globally famous for its snow leopards.
  2. Desert National Park [Area (km Square): 3,162.0]: Desert National Park is located in the Rajasthan, near the towns of Jaisalmer and Barmer. It is an example of the ecosystem of the Thar Desert.
  3. Gangotri National Park [Area (km Square): 2,390.0]: Gangotri National Park is located in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, India. Its habitat includes coniferous forests, alpine meadows and glaciers. The origin of river Ganga is located inside the Gangotri National Park.
  4. Namdapha National Park  [Area (km Square): 1,985.2]: Namdapha National Park is located in Arunachal Pradesh. It is a biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Himalayas.
  5. Khangchendzonga National Park [Area (km Square): 1,784.0]: Khangchendzonga National Park is located in the state of Sikkim in northern India. It includes a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and spectacular, snow-capped mountains covered with ancient forests.
  6. Guru Ghasidas (Sanjay) National Park [ Area (km Square): 1,440.7]: Guru Ghasidas National Park is also known as Sanjay National Park which is situated in Madhya Pradesh. It is declared as the 4th Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh and 53rd in India on 5th October 2021.
  7.  Gir Forest National Park [Area (km Square): 1,412.0]: Kangchenjunga Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, Talala Gir, Gujarat. It was established to protect the Asiatic lions that visit the Devalia Safari Park along with the leopards and antelopes.
  8. Sundarbans National Park [Area (km Square): 1,330.1]: Sundarbans National Park is a tiger reserve and biosphere reserve in West Bengal. It is a part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta and is adjacent to the Sundarbans Reserve Forest in Bangladesh.
  9. Jim Corbett National Park [Area (km Square): 1,318.5]: Jim Corbett National Park is known for its Bengal Tigers which is located in Ramnagar, Uttarakhand.
  10.  Indravati National Park  [Area (km Square): 1,258.4]: Indravati National Park is one of the most famous wildlife parks of Chhattisgarh. It is one of the three Project Tiger sites in Chhattisgarh along with Udanti-Sitanadi and is home to one of the last remaining populations of endangered wild water buffalo.

National Parks in India – State Wise List

National Parks in India are Category II protected areas. The first national park in India was established in 1936, now known as Jim Corbett national park, Uttarakhand. The below table will provide a list of national parks in India with their year of establishment and the state to which they belong. Here is the complete state-wise list of National Parks in India.

State/Union Territory Total  Parks National Parks Name Establishment Year
Andaman & Nicobar Islands 9 Campbell Bay National Park 1992
Galathea Bay National Park 1992
Mahatama Gandhi Marine (Wandoor) National Park 1982
Middle Button Island National Park 1987
Mount Harriett National Park 1987
North Button Island National Park 1987
Rani Jhansi Marine National Park 1996
Saddle Peak National Park 1987
South Button Island National Park 1987
Andhra Pradesh 3 Papikonda National Park 2008
Rajiv Gandhi (Rameswaram) National Park 2005
Sri Venkateswara National Park 1989
Arunachal Pradesh 2 Mouling National Park 1986
Namdapha National Park 1983
Assam 5 Dibru-Saikhowa National Park 1999
Kaziranga National Park 1974
Manas National Park 1990
Nameri National Park 1998
Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park 1999
Bihar 1 Valmiki National Park 1989
Chhattisgarh 3 Guru Ghasidas (Sanjay) National Park 1981
Indravati (Kutru) National Park 1982
Kanger Valley National Park 1982
Goa 1 Mollem National Park 1992
Gujarat 4 Vansda National Park 1979
Blackbuck (Velavadar) National Park 1976
Gir National Park 1975
Marine (Gulf of Kachchh) National Park 1982
Haryana 2 Kalesar National Park 2003
SultaNational Parkur National Park 1989
Himachal Pradesh 5 Great Himalayan National Park 1984
Inderkilla National Park 2010
Khirganga National Park 2010
Pin Valley National Park 1987
Simbalbara National Park 2010
Jammu and Kashmir 4 City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park 1992
Dachigam National Park 1981
Kishtwar National Park 1981
Jharkhand 1 Betla National Park 1986
Karnataka 5 Anshi National Park 1987
Bandipur National Park 1974
Bannerghatta National Park 1974
Kudremukh National Park 1987
Nagarahole (Rajiv Gandhi) National Park 1988
Kerala 6 Anamudi Shola National Park 2003
Eravikulam National Park 1978
Mathikettan Shola National Park 2003
Pambadum Shola National Park 2003
Periyar National Park 1982
Silent Valley National Park 1984
Madhya Pradesh 9 Bandhavgarh National Park 1968
Fossil National Park 1983
Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park 1975
Kanha National Park 1955
Madhav National Park 1959
Panna National Park 1981
Sanjay National Park 1981
Satpura National Park 1981
Van Vihar National Park 1979
Maharashtra 6 Chandoli National Park 2004
Gugamal National Park 1975
Nawegaon National Park 1975
Pench (Jawaharlal Nehru) National Park 1975
Sanjay Gandhi (Borivali) National Park 1983
Tadoba National Park 1955
Manipur 1 Keibul-Lamjao National Park 1977
Meghalaya 2 Balphakram National Park 1985
Nokrek Ridge National Park 1986
Mizoram 2 Mullen National Park 1991
Phawngpui Blue Mountain National Park 1992
Nagaland 1 Intanki National Park 1993
Odisha 2 Bhitarkanika National Park 1988
Simlipal National Park 1980
Rajasthan 5 Mukundra Hills National Park 2006
Desert National Park 1992
Keoladeo Ghana National Park 1981
Ranthambhore National Park 1980
Sariska National Park 1992
Sikkim 1 Khangchendzonga National Park 1977
Tamil Nadu 5 Guindy National Park 1976
Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park 1980
Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) National Park 1989
Mudumalai National Park 1990
Mukurthi National Park 1990
Ladakh 1 Hemis National Park 1981
Telangana 3 Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park 1994
Mahaveer Harina Vanasthali National Park 1994
Mrugavani National Park 1994
Tripura 2 Clouded Leopard National Park 2007
Bison (Rajbari) National Park 2007
Uttar Pradesh 1 Dudhwa National Park 1977
Uttarakhand 6 Corbett National Park 1936
Gangotri National Park 1989
Govind National Park 1990
Nanda Devi National Park 1982
Rajaji National Park 1983
Valley of Flowers National Park 1982
West Bengal 6 Buxa National Park 1992
Gorumara National Park 1992
Jaldapara National Park 2014
Neora Valley National Park 1986
Singalila National Park 1986
Sunderban National Park 1984
National Parks in India – Important Points
  • The National Parks, Wildlife sanctuaries, Reserve forests, Conservation reserves, Marine reserves, Community reserves, and Biosphere reserves come under the Protected areas of India.
  • India is one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world. The country is bestowed with a plethora of flora and fauna.
  • National parks are protected areas under IUCN category II. India’s first National Park was established in 1936 at Uttarakhand, Jim Corbett National Park.
  • India only had five national parks till 1970. In 1972, India legislated the Wildlife Protection Act.

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FAQs

Q 1. How many national parks are there in India?

Ans: There is a total of 106 national parks in India covering an area of 44,378 KM2.

Q 2. Which is the largest national park in India?

Ans. Hemis National Park is the largest National Park in India which is globally famous for its snow leopards. It stretches over nearly 4,400 km2.

Q 3. Which is the largest Wildlife Sanctuary in India?

Ans:  The Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, located in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, is the largest wildlife sanctuary in India.

Q 4. Which state has the maximum number of national parks?

Ans: Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number of National Parks in India. The number of national parks in Madhya Pradesh is 9.

Q 5. Where is Bandipur National Park in India?

Ans: Bandipur National Park is located in Chamarajnagar district in Karnataka. It shares its boundary with 3 other National Park namely Nagarahole National Park, Wayanad National Park and Mudumalai National Park.

Q 6. Periyar wildlife sanctuary is famous for?

Ans. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for Elephants.

Q 7. Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park in which state?

Ans. Valley of Flowers National Park is in Uttarakhand.

Q 8. Which is the only floating park in the world?

Ans. Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur is the only floating park in the world.

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