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W National Park

Coordinates: 12°31′31″N 2°39′48″E / 12.52528°N 2.66333°E / 12.52528; 2.66333
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
W Transborder Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Mekrou River in the W-National Park
IUCN Protected Areas of the WAP complex
LocationNiger-Burkina Faso-Benin
Nearest cityKandi (Benin), Diapaga (Burkina Faso), Tapoa (Niger)
Coordinates12°31′31″N 2°39′48″E / 12.52528°N 2.66333°E / 12.52528; 2.66333
Area10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi)
EstablishedAugust 4, 1954
Governing bodyECOPAS, Governments of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Benin
Official nameW Regional Park
TypeNatural
Criteriavii, ix, x
Designated1996 (20th session)
Reference no.749bis
State PartyNiger
RegionAfrica
Official nameParc national du W
Designated30 April 1987
Reference no.355
Official nameParc National du W
Designated27 June 1990
Reference no.492
Official nameSite Ramsar du Complexe W
Designated2 February 2007
Reference no.1668

The W Regional Park is a major national park in West Africa. It is formed around a meander in the River Niger shaped like a "W". The park includes areas of the three countries Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso.

The W National Park of Niger was formed by decree on 4 August 1954. In 1996 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bends in the River Niger which give W National Park its name.

In the three nations, the Regional park covers about 10,000 km². Almost no people live in this area.

The park is known for its large mammals, including aardvarks, baboons, buffalo, caracal, cheetahs, elephants, hippopotamuses, leopards, lions, serval and warthogs. The park has a home for some of West Africa's last wild African Elephants. The W Park used to have packs of the endangered Painted Hunting Dog. The National Park is one of the last strongholds for the Northwest African cheetah. There is a small but increasing population of at least 15-25 animals of this rare cat in the park.[1]

The W area is also known for its bird populations. There are over 350 species identified in the park.[2]

References

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  1. Belbachir, F. (2008). "Acinonyx jubatus ssp. hecki". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  2. United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (Content Partner); Mark McGinley (Topic Editor). 2009. "'W' National Park, Niger." In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). online Archived 2009-11-29 at the Wayback Machine

Other websites

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Media related to W National Park at Wikimedia Commons