Chiquibul National Park
Chiquibul National Park | |
---|---|
Location | Cayo District |
Nearest city | Belmopan |
Coordinates | 16°42′37″N 88°56′15″W / 16.71028°N 88.93750°W |
Area | 1,073 km2 (414 sq mi) |
Established | 1995 |
Website | www |
Chiquibul National Park is Belize's largest national park.[1] It is 1,073 km2 (414 sq mi) in size.[2] The park is located in Belize's Cayo District. The national park surrounds Caracol,[3] a Mayan city.[4] Caracol has been designated as an archaeological reserve and is not included within the park's total area. Chiquibul Forest Reserve is adjacent to the park.[2]
Establishment of the park
Chiquibul National Park was originally part of Chiquibul Forest Reserve, which was designated in 1956. In 1991, due to lobbying from conservationists, the three-quarters of the forest reserve that did not have active logging concessions was re-designated as a national park under Belize's National Parks System Act. The park's borders were re-defined in 1995. Caracol became surrounded by the national park.[5]
Geology and geography
The western side of the park lies along Belize's border with
Flora and fauna
The forest has been mostly unbroken since the Maya left it centuries ago.
References
- ^ ISBN 0-691-12219-9.
- ^ a b World Database on Protected Areas[permanent dead link]
- ^ ISBN 0-292-71318-5.
- ^ Sharer, Robert J., 2005, The Ancient Maya, Stanford University
Press, p. 364, ISBN 0-8047-4817-9.
- ^ a b Chiquibul National Park and Caracol, Belize National Parks, Natural Reserves, & Wildlife Sanctuaries.
- ^ Day, Michael (August 1996). "Conservation of karst in Belize" (PDF). Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 58 (2): 139–144. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03.
- ^ Kueny, Jeffrey A.; Michael J. Day (December 2002). "Designation of protected karstlands in Central America: a regional assessment" (PDF). Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 64 (3): 165–174.
External links
- Chiquibul National Park, Biodiversity & Environmental Resource Data System of Belize.
- Inside Chiquibul: Photographing Central America's Longest Cave, National Geographic.
- Expedition to Doyle's Delight, Biological-Diversity.info.