Q. Which of the following national parks in India are World Heritage Sites?
- Keoladeo National Park
- Manas National Park
- Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve
- Great Himalayan National Park
Select the correct option from the codes given below:
Answer:
1, 2, 3 & 4
Notes: As of 2023, India has seven natural world heritage sites as follows:
- Great Himalayan National Park: Built in 1984, spread over an area of 1,171 square km and characterised by high alpine peaks and meadows, the Great Himalayan National Park was declared a World Heritage site in 2014.
- Kaziranga National Park: Situated in the north-east state of India, Assam, Kaziranga National Park is inhabited by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceros. The Park, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1985, also boasts of the highest density of tigers among protected area and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.
- Keoladeo National Park: Situated in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, Keoladeo National Park, formerly known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, is home to over 360 species of birds. A protected sanctuary since 1971, Keoladeo National Park was declared a World Heritage site in 1985.
- Manas Wildlife Sanctuary: Located in the foothills of Himalayas in the north eastern state of Assam, Manas National Park or Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is a Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve. The Park, which is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan, was declared a World Heritage site in 1985.
The Park is home to various rare and endangered species including Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langoor and is also famous for its population of Wild Water Buffalo.
- Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Park: Located in West Himalaya, The Valley of Flowers has the most beautiful and breathtaking meadows with stunning landscape. The outstanding scenic beauty perfectly complements the mountain ranges making it a adventure sports and nature lover’s delight.
The Valley of Flowers National Park, with a diverse combination of flora and rare and endangered fauna, including Asiatic Black Bear, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer is part of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve which includes the rugged mountains of the Great Himalayas. The Reserve is a World Heritage site since 2004.
- Sundarbans National Park: Sprawled across 10,000 sq km of land and water, across India and Bangladesh in the Ganga delta, Sunderbans cover the world’s largest area of mangrove forests. It is home to a number of rare and endangered animal species including tigers, aquatic mammals birds and reptiles such as salt-water crocodile and is also one of the largest reserves for the Bengal Tiger.
- Western Ghats: The mountain chain that runs almost parallel to the western coast of India is even older than the Himalaya mountain range and was declared a World Heritage site in 2012. Also known as the Sahyadri mountain range, the Western Ghats represent biological diversity and is of importance because of the unique biophysical and ecological processes. Traversing through the Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnata