Jim Corbett National Park

Jim Corbett National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Bengal tiger in Corbett National Park
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Location	Nainital,Uttarakhand, India
Nearest city	Ramnagar, Kotdwar
Coordinates	29°32′55″N 78°56′7″E / 29.54861°N 78.93528°E / 29.54861; 78.93528
Area	1,318 km2
Established	1936
Visitors	500,000[1] (in 1999)
Governing body	Project Tiger, Government of Uttarakhand, Wildlife Warden, Jim Corbett National Park
corbettonline.uk.gov.in

Jim Corbett National Park is a national park in India located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand state. The first national park in India, it was established in 1936 during the British Raj and named Hailey National Park after William Malcolm Hailey, a governor of the United Provinces in which it was then located. In 1956, nearly a decade after India's independence, it was renamed Corbett National Park after the hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett, who had played a leading role in its establishment and had died the year before. The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.^[2]

Corbett National Park comprises 520.8 km² (201.1 sq mi) area of hills, riverine belts, marshy depressions, grasslands and a large lake. The elevation ranges from 1,300 to 4,000 ft (400 to 1,220 m). Winter nights are cold but the days are bright and sunny. It rains from July to September. The park has sub-Himalayan belt geographical and ecological characteristics.^[3] Dense moist deciduous forest mainly consists of Shorea robusta (the sal tree), haldu, peepal, rohini and mango trees. Forest covers almost 73 per cent of the park, while 10 per cent of the area consists of grasslands. It houses around 110 tree species, 50 species of mammals, 580 bird species and 25 reptile species.

An ecotourism destination,^[4] the park contains 617 different species of plants and a diverse variety of fauna.^[5][6] The increase in tourist activities, among other problems, continues to present a serious challenge to the park's ecological balance.^[7]