El Rey National Park
Encyclopedia
The El Rey National Park is a national park
of Argentina
, located in the Anta Department, province
of Salta
, in the Argentine Northwest
, 80 km from the provincial capital. It has an area of 441.62 km².
The park was created in order to preserve a representative sample of the Southern Andean Yungas
ecoregion
and transition environments. The climate is warm, and annual rainfall oscillates between 500 and 700 mm. The flora is varied, showing different species in five levels according to height (from 750 to 2,000 m). The fauna includes tapir
s, anteater
s and peccaries
, as well as fish in the rivers, brooks and lakes. The tapir or anta, which eats aquatic plants, is the largest South American mammal
, weighing up to 300 kg.
The protected area was inhabited by farmer indigenous groups, the oldest inhabitants of the Yungas, and includes archaeological
sites.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, located in the Anta Department, province
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of Salta
Salta Province
Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...
, in the Argentine Northwest
Argentine Northwest
The Argentine Northwest is a region of Argentina composed by the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.-Geography:The region had 5 different biomes:* Sub-Andean humid Sierras of the east...
, 80 km from the provincial capital. It has an area of 441.62 km².
The park was created in order to preserve a representative sample of the Southern Andean Yungas
Southern Andean Yungas
The Southern Andean Yungas is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Yungas of southwestern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina.-Climate:This ecoregion has a subtropical highland climate...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
and transition environments. The climate is warm, and annual rainfall oscillates between 500 and 700 mm. The flora is varied, showing different species in five levels according to height (from 750 to 2,000 m). The fauna includes tapir
Tapir
A Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
s, anteater
Anteater
Anteaters, also known as antbear, are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. Together with the sloths, they compose the order Pilosa...
s and peccaries
Peccary
A peccary is a medium-sized mammal of the family Tayassuidae, or New World Pigs. Peccaries are members of the artiodactyl suborder Suina, as are the pig family and possibly the hippopotamus family...
, as well as fish in the rivers, brooks and lakes. The tapir or anta, which eats aquatic plants, is the largest South American mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
, weighing up to 300 kg.
The protected area was inhabited by farmer indigenous groups, the oldest inhabitants of the Yungas, and includes archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
sites.
Sources
- Administración de Parques Nacionales - National Parks Administration of Argentina (in Spanish and English)
- http://www.parquenacionalelrey.com.ar