Wakhan National Park | |
---|---|
Location | Wakhan District, Afghanistan |
Coordinates | 36°48′N 72°18′E / 36.8°N 72.3°E |
Area | 10,910.12 km2 (4,212.42 sq mi) |
Established | 30 March 2014 |
Wakhan National Park is a
national park in northeastern
Afghanistan. Established in 2014, the park encompasses the entire
Wakhan District of
Badakhshan Province, extending along the
Wakhan Corridor between the
Pamir mountains and the
Hindu Kush, bordering the
Gorno-Badakhshan
autonomous region of Tajikistan to the north,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan to the south, and the
Xinjiang
autonomous region of China to the east.
Flora and fauna in the Wakhan National Park include some 600 plant species, the snow leopard, lynx, wolf, brown bear, stone marten, red fox, Pallas's cat, ibex, Marco Polo sheep, and urial. [2] [3] Remote and largely above the tree line, poaching and overgrazing, rather than mining and logging, currently pose the main threats. Around 15,000 Afghans of ethnic Wakhi and Kyrgyz background reside in the area. [4] [5] [6] [7] Foreigners must have an Afghan visa to tour the area.
Wakhan National Park | |
---|---|
Location | Wakhan District, Afghanistan |
Coordinates | 36°48′N 72°18′E / 36.8°N 72.3°E |
Area | 10,910.12 km2 (4,212.42 sq mi) |
Established | 30 March 2014 |
Wakhan National Park is a
national park in northeastern
Afghanistan. Established in 2014, the park encompasses the entire
Wakhan District of
Badakhshan Province, extending along the
Wakhan Corridor between the
Pamir mountains and the
Hindu Kush, bordering the
Gorno-Badakhshan
autonomous region of Tajikistan to the north,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan to the south, and the
Xinjiang
autonomous region of China to the east.
Flora and fauna in the Wakhan National Park include some 600 plant species, the snow leopard, lynx, wolf, brown bear, stone marten, red fox, Pallas's cat, ibex, Marco Polo sheep, and urial. [2] [3] Remote and largely above the tree line, poaching and overgrazing, rather than mining and logging, currently pose the main threats. Around 15,000 Afghans of ethnic Wakhi and Kyrgyz background reside in the area. [4] [5] [6] [7] Foreigners must have an Afghan visa to tour the area.