The various National Parks in Democratic Republic of Congo protect the great biodiversity of the country. These include many rare and endemic species like the common chimpanzee and the bonobo mountain gorilla, okapi and white rhino. Five of the National Parks in Democratic Republic of Congo are listed as World Heritage Sites.
In the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo one can come across the Virunga National Park. It stretches from the Rwenzori range, south through Lake Edward and the chain of volcanoes north of the town of Goma, to Lake Kivu. Set up in the year 1925, it is the oldest national park in Africa. As the most bio diverse parks, it has over 700 species of bird and 200 species of mammals. These include the critically endangered mountain gorilla. The park also boasts of 30 to 40 chimpanzees and also 3 species of pangolin.
Along with herons, ibisis, egrets, bitterns, duck, geese, darters, cormorants, skimmers, shoebills, openbills, ospreys, gulls, francolins, warblers and weavers can also be found in National Parks at Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the north-eastern part of Congo, lies the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. It occupies about one-fifth of the Ituri forest. The reserve boasts of over 1,500 species of plants and animals. The reserve houses about 5,000 of the estimated 30,000 okapi. It also boasts of some spectacular scenery, which includes waterfalls on the Ituri and Epulu rivers. Traditional nomadic pygmy Mbuti and Efe hunters inhabit this reserve.
Another important national park is the Garamba National Park. Spread over an area of 492,000 hectare the park is contiguous on the northeast with the Lantoto national park in Sudan.
Animals found here include northern savanna giraffe which can be found nowhere else in the country, hippopotamus, buffalo, hartebeest, waterbuck, chimpananzee, olive baboon. These apart there are 4 other species of monkey, 2 species of otter, and 5 species of mongoose, golden cat, leopard, lion, warthog, roan antelope and 6 other antelope species.
Kahuzi-Biega National Park is also an important national park in Congo. The park consists of the rift valley volcanic mountains and Congo basin low highlands. The park has a dense flora and fauna with a large population of eastern lowland gorillas. The Garumba, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga, Virunga National Parks and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve are world heritage sites in Congo.
Detailed online information on National Parks in Democratic Republic of Congo can be obtained in travel.mapsofworld
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