Llanganates National Park
Encyclopedia
Llanganates National Park is a protected area
in Ecuador
situated in the Cotopaxi Province, Napo Province, Pastaza Province and Tungurahua Province. The name, "llanganates" supposedly comes from "beautiful mountain" in Quechua
. Located within the park is the similarly named Cerro Hermoso which means "beautiful mountain" in Spanish
. The park is famous for the Treasure of the Llanganatis
.
The park can be access from a number of directions, but visitors usually come by way of towns like Salcedo
, Patate
, Pillaro
, Baños
, and Rio Verde
.
paramo
, high above the eastern zone. Here, visitors find a deserted landscape of mountainous peaks and high valleys. The area is populated mainly by South American camelids like vicuñas, llamas and alpacas.
The eastern zone is located on the eastern flanks of the Andes
. Here visitors find a rich diversity of plants and animals among the twisted forests of the upper Amazon
. This area is highly unreachable, and is usually traversed only by foot. The large number of rivers, emptying out the Andes also makes this area difficult to cross.
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
situated in the Cotopaxi Province, Napo Province, Pastaza Province and Tungurahua Province. The name, "llanganates" supposedly comes from "beautiful mountain" in Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
. Located within the park is the similarly named Cerro Hermoso which means "beautiful mountain" in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. The park is famous for the Treasure of the Llanganatis
Treasure of the llanganatis
The Treasure of the Llanganatis refers to a huge sum of worked gold and other treasures supposedly hidden deep within the Llanganatis mountain range of Ecuador by the Inca general Rumiñahui....
.
The park can be access from a number of directions, but visitors usually come by way of towns like Salcedo
Salcedo Canton
Salcedo is a canton in the Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador. At the time of census 2001 it had a population of 51,304. The capital of the canton is San Miguel.Salcedo is famous for its ice cream.- References :* - External links :* *...
, Patate
Patate
Patate is a town in Ecuador in the Tungurahua Province in northwestern South America between San Juan de Ambato and Baños. It is close to the foothills of the still active Tungurahua volcano.- References :* * - External links :*...
, Pillaro
Pillaro
Píllaro is a city in Ecuador, located in the province of Tungurahua. It is the capital of the Píllaro Canton and stands about 19 km northeast of Ambato, the provincial capital ....
, Baños
Baños
Baños de Agua Santa , commonly referred to as Baños, is a city in eastern Tungurahua Province, in central Ecuador. Baños is the second most populous city in Tungurahua, after Ambato, the capital, and is a major tourist center...
, and Rio Verde
Rio Verde
Rio Verde can mean the following:-Brazil:* Rio Verde, Goiás* Lucas do Rio Verde* Conceição do Rio Verde* Rio Verde de Mato Grosso-Brazil:29 rivers including:* Verde River...
.
Ecology
The park is divided into two ecological zones, the western zone and the eastern zone. The western zone is located in the AndeanAndes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
paramo
Páramo
The term páramo can refer to a variety of ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as “all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline”. A more narrow term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement - specifically located in “the northern Andes...
, high above the eastern zone. Here, visitors find a deserted landscape of mountainous peaks and high valleys. The area is populated mainly by South American camelids like vicuñas, llamas and alpacas.
The eastern zone is located on the eastern flanks of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. Here visitors find a rich diversity of plants and animals among the twisted forests of the upper Amazon
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
. This area is highly unreachable, and is usually traversed only by foot. The large number of rivers, emptying out the Andes also makes this area difficult to cross.