Kilimanjaro National Park

Kilimanjaro National Park
IUCN category II (national park)

Entrance to Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro National Park
Location Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania
Coordinates 3°04′S 37°22′E / 3.067°S 37.367°E / -3.067; 37.367Coordinates: 3°04′S 37°22′E / 3.067°S 37.367°E / -3.067; 37.367
Area 1,688 square kilometres (652 sq mi)
Established 1973[1]
Visitors c. 52,000 per year[2]
Governing body Tanzania National Parks Authority
Type Natural
Criteria vii
Designated 1987 (11th session)
Reference no. 403
State Party Tanzania
Region Africa

Kilimanjaro National Park is a Tanzanian national park, located 300 kilometres (190 mi) south of the equator[1] and in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. The park is located near the city of Moshi.[3] The park includes the whole of Mount Kilimanjaro above the tree line and the surrounding montane forest belt above 1,820 metres (5,970 ft).[3][1] It covers an area of 1,688 square kilometres (652 sq mi), 2°50'3°10'S latitude, 37°10'37°40'E longitude.[1] The park is administered by the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA).[4]

The park generated US $51 million in revenue in 2013,[5]:285 the second-most of any Tanzanian national park,[6]:258 and was one of only two Tanzanian national parks to generate a surplus during the 2012-13 budget year.[7] (The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which includes the heavily visited Ngorongoro Crater, is not a national park.) The fees for park usage and for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro during the 2015-16 budget year are published on the Internet. TNPA has reported that the park recorded 58,460 tourists during the 2012-13 budget year, of whom 54,584 were foreigners.[7] Of the park's 57,456 tourists during the 2011-12 budget year, 16,425 hiked the mountain, which was well below the capacity of 28,470 as specified in the park's General Management Plan.[8]

History

In the early twentieth century, Mount Kilimanjaro and the adjacent forests were declared a game reserve by the German colonial government.[3] In 1921, it was designated a forest reserve.[3] In 1973, the mountain above the tree line (about 2,700 metres (8,900 ft)) was reclassified as a national park.[1] The park was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1987.[3] In 2005, the park was expanded to include the entire montane forest, which had been part of the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve.[1][3]

Fauna

A variety of animals can be found in the park. Above the timberline, the Kilimanjaro tree hyrax, the grey duiker, and rodents are frequently encountered.[3] The bushbuck and red duiker appear above the timerline in places.[3] Cape buffaloes are found in the montane forest and occasionally in the moorland and grassland.[3] Elephants can be found between the Namwai and Tarakia rivers and sometimes occur at higher elevations.[3] In the montane forests, blue monkeys, western black and white colobuses, bushbabies, and leopards can be found.[3]

See also

References

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