South African National Parks
Encyclopedia
South African National Parks (SANParks) is the body responsible for managing South Africa
's national park
s. SANParks was formed in 1926, and currently manages 20 parks consisting of 3700000 hectares (37,000 km²), about 3% of the total area of South Africa.
The best known park is Kruger National Park
, which is also the oldest (proclaimed in 1898), and the largest, at nearly 2000000 hectares (20,000 km²). The Kruger Park and Table Mountain National Park
are two of South Africa's most visited tourist attractions.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s. SANParks was formed in 1926, and currently manages 20 parks consisting of 3700000 hectares (37,000 km²), about 3% of the total area of South Africa.
The best known park is Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers and extends from north to south and from east to west.To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is...
, which is also the oldest (proclaimed in 1898), and the largest, at nearly 2000000 hectares (20,000 km²). The Kruger Park and Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on May 29, 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation...
are two of South Africa's most visited tourist attractions.
List of parks administered by SANParks
The following are designated as National Parks of South Africa:- Greater Addo Elephant National ParkGreater Addo Elephant National ParkGreater Addo Elephant National Park, Is a megapark in the making, and consists of the following parks:** Addo Elephant National Park** Woody Cape Nature Reserve** Marine Protection Area*** Bird Island*** St Croix Island...
(Eastern CapeEastern CapeThe Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
), including Addo Elephant National ParkAddo Elephant National ParkAddo Elephant National Park is an elephant park situated close to Port Elizabeth in South Africa and is recognized as one of the country's twenty national parks.- History :...
, the Woody Cape Nature ReserveWoody Cape Nature ReserveThe Woody Cape Nature Reserve is a 25,000 hectare conservation area in Eastern Cape, South Africa....
and the Marine Protection Areas of Bird Island and St Croix Island - Agulhas National ParkAgulhas National ParkThe Agulhas National Park is a South African national park located in the Agulhas Plain in the southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, about south-east of Cape Town. The park stetches along the coastal plain between the towns of Gansbaai and Struisbaai, and includes the southern tip of...
- Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier ParkAi-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier ParkThe ǀAi-ǀAis/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park is a peace park straddling the border between South Africa and Namibia. It was formed in 2003 by combining the Namibian ǀAi-ǀAis Hot Springs Game Park and the South African Richtersveld National Park....
with the RichtersveldRichtersveldThe Richtersveld is a mountainous desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat sandy plains, to craggy sharp mountains of volcanic rock and the lushness of the Orange River, which...
portion managed by South African National Parks, and the Fish River CanyonFish River CanyonThe Fish River Canyon is located in the south of Namibia. It is the second largest canyon in the world and the largest in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 metres...
portion managed by the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism - Augrabies Falls National ParkAugrabies Falls National ParkAugrabies Falls National Park is a national park located around the Augrabies Falls, about 120 km west of Upington in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. It was established in 1966....
- Bontebok National ParkBontebok National ParkBontebok National Park is a species-specific national park in South Africa. It was established in 1961 to ensure the preservation of the bontebok...
- Camdeboo National ParkCamdeboo National ParkThe Camdeboo National Park is located in the Karoo and almost completely surrounds the Eastern Cape town of Graaff-Reinet.Camdeboo National Park was proclaimed as South Africa's 22nd National Park under the management of South African National Parks on Sunday 30 October 2005.Following an extensive...
- Garden Route National ParkGarden Route National ParkThe Garden Route National Park is a national park in the Garden Route region of South Africa. It was established on 6 March 2009 by amalgamating the existing Tsitsikamma and Wilderness National Parks, the Knysna National Lake Area, and various other areas of state-owned land.The park covers about ...
- Knysna National Lake AreaKnysna National Lake Area-References:...
- Tsitsikamma National ParkTsitsikamma National ParkThe Tsitsikamma National Park is a coastal reserve on the Garden Route in South Africa. It is well known for indigenous forests, dramatic coastline, and the Otter Trail. On 6 March 2009 it was amalgamated with the Wilderness National Park and various other areas of land to form the Garden Route...
- Wilderness National ParkWilderness National ParkWilderness National Park, located in Wilderness in the Western Cape, was a South African National Park which was incorporated into the Garden Route National Park when it was proclaimed on March 6, 2009.-External links:*...
- Knysna National Lake Area
- Golden Gate Highlands National ParkGolden Gate Highlands National ParkGolden Gate Highlands National Park is located in Free State, Republic of South Africa, near the Lesotho border. It covers an area of 340 km² . The park's most notable features are its golden, ochre, and orange-hued deeply eroded sandstone cliffs and outcrops, especially the Brandwag rock...
, including the now defunct QwaQwa National ParkQwaQwa National ParkQwaQwa National Park was a National Park of the former Bantustan of QwaQwa in South Africa that was added to the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in 1994, when it became part of the Free State province.- Wildlife :... - Karoo National ParkKaroo National ParkThe Karoo National Park, founded in 1979, is a wildlife reserve in the isolated Karoo area of the Western Cape, South Africa near Beaufort West. The area is mostly semi-desert and is well known for its isolation...
- Kgalagadi Transfrontier ParkKgalagadi Transfrontier ParkKgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlife preserve and conservation area in southern Africa. The park straddles the border between South Africa and Botswana and comprises two adjoining national parks: Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa and Gemsbok National Park in Botswana. The...
comprising the Kalahari Gemsbok Park in South Africa and the Gemsbok National Park and Mabuasehube Game Reserve in BotswanaBotswanaBotswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966... - Kruger National ParkKruger National ParkKruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers and extends from north to south and from east to west.To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is...
- Mapungubwe National ParkMapungubwe National ParkMapungubwe National Park is a national park in Limpopo Province, South Africa, located near the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers. It abuts on the border with Botswana and Zimbabwe, and forms part of the proposed Limpopo-Shashe Transfrontier Conservation Area. It was established in 1995...
- Marakele National ParkMarakele National ParkMarakele National Park is a National Park that is part of the Waterberg Biosphere in Limpopo Province, South Africa.-Flora and fauna:...
- Mokala National ParkMokala National ParkMokala National Park is a reserve established in the Plooysburg area south-west of Kimberley in the Northern Cape, South Africa on 19 June 2007. The size of the Park is 26 485 hectares. Mokala is the Setswana name for the magnificent camel thorn, a tree species typical of the arid western interior...
- Mountain Zebra National ParkMountain Zebra National ParkMountain Zebra National Park is a national park in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa proclaimed in July, 1937 for the purpose of providing a nature reserve for the endangered Cape mountain zebra....
- Namaqua National ParkNamaqua National ParkNamaqua National Park is a South African national park situated approximately 495 km north of Cape Town and 22 km northwest of Kamieskroon. It has an area of more than 700 km2. The park is part of Namaqualand, an area covering 55,000 km2 located within the semi-desert Succulent...
- Table Mountain National ParkTable Mountain National ParkTable Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on May 29, 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation...
- Tankwa Karoo National ParkTankwa Karoo National ParkTankwa Karoo National Park is a Scientific National Park in South Africa. The park lies about 70 km due west of Sutherland near the border of the Northern Cape and Western Cape, in one of the most arid regions of South Africa, receiving 50 to 70 mm of precipitation in an average year. The mean...
- West Coast National ParkWest Coast National ParkThe West Coast National Park lies 120 km north of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is in size. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the R27 coastal road, and runs from the town of Yzerfontein in the south up to the Langebaan lagoon...
See also
- Protected areas of South Africa
- Ezemvelo KZN WildlifeEzemvelo KZN WildlifeEzemvelo KZN Wildlife is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wildlife conservation areas and biodiversity in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Their headquarters is in Queen Elizabeth Park situated on the northern slopes of Pietermaritzburg, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial...
- The body responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in KwaZulu-NatalKwaZulu-NatalKwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu.... - Eastern Cape ParksEastern Cape ParksEastern Cape parks is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.- National Parks situated in the Eastern Cape :* Camdeboo National Park...
- The body responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in the Eastern CapeEastern CapeThe Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province... - Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land AffairsGauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land AffairsGauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs is a department of the Gauteng provincial government, South Africa.-Parks Managed by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs:...
- The government department responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in GautengGautengGauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
. - Mpumalanga Parks BoardMpumalanga Parks BoardMpumalanga Parks Board is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.- National Parks :* Greater Kruger National Park* Associated Private Nature Reserves...
- The body responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in MpumalangaMpumalangaMpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area... - North West Parks and Tourism BoardNorth West Parks and Tourism BoardNorth West Parks and Tourism Board is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in North West Province, South Africa.- Parks managed by North West Parks and Tourism Board :* Barberspan Bird Sanctuary...
- The body responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in the North WestNorth West (South African province)North West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mafikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng.-History:... - CapeNatureCapeNatureCapeNature is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in Western Cape Province, South Africa.-West Coast:*Cederberg Wilderness Area...
- The body responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in the Western CapeWestern CapeThe Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...