Slītere National Park is a national park

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...

 in Talsi district

Talsi District

Talsi District was an administrative division of Latvia, located in Courland region, in the country's west. It was one of the former 26 rural districts of Latvia and it consisted of 20 local communities.These included three towns:...

, Kurzeme Region

Kurzeme Region

Kurzeme Region , officially Kurzeme Planning Region is one of five planning regions of Latvia, situated in the western part of Latvia, at the shores of the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga. The state institution was founded on 2 October 2006, based on the creation of the region territory as prescribed...

, on the west coast of Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

. Although formally established in 2000, it is based on former Slītere Nature Reserve, one of the oldest nature reserves in Baltic States. It covers an area of 264.9 km² (including 101.3 km² in the Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

), making it the smallest national park in Latvia.

Slītere National Park is famous for the broadleaf forests covering former coastline and for the unique complex of dunes (called kangari in Latvian) and depressions (vigas) featuring inter-dune bogs. Most of the broadleaf forest is located on the "Zilie Kalni" or "Blue Hills", which are geologically one of the most recognizable features of the park. Thousands of years ago, the Zilie Kalni formed the ancient shore of the Baltic ice lake

Baltic ice lake

The Baltic ice lake is a name given by geologists to a freshwater lake that gradually formed in the Baltic Sea basin as glaciation retreated from that region at the end of the Pleistocene. The lake, dated to 12,600-10,300 BP, is roughly contemporaneous with the three Pleistocene Blytt-Sernander...

. Another 30% of the park is covered by coniferous forest. The park hosts hundreds of species of plants and bryophytes, 29 species of which are found nowhere else in Latvia. Slītere National Park lies along the Baltic migratory flyways, making Slītere one of the best places in Latvia for birdwatching

Birdwatching

Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...

. Virtually all species of bird found in Latvia have been observed in Slītere, with many as 60,000 birds per hour have been observed flying over during the spring and fall migrations. http://www.slitere.gov.lv/en_territories_fauna.htm The Grey Wolf, Eurasian Lynx

Eurasian Lynx

The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, South Asia and East Asia. It is also known as the European lynx, common lynx, the northern lynx, and the Siberian or Russian lynx...

, and Elk

Elk

The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...

 can all be found within Slītere. The National Park has many rare species of insect and snail due to its high plant and biome diversity. Along the coast, the Baltic Grey Seal

Grey Seal

The grey seal is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus...

 is found, and the rarer Ringed Seal

Ringed Seal

The ringed seal , also known as the jar seal and as netsik or nattiq by the Inuit, is an earless seal inhabiting the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions...

 is occasionally seen.

Slītere protects a large portion of the Līvõd Rãnda - the Livonian Coast, featuring Livonian

Livonian people

The Livonians or Livs are the indigenous inhabitants of Livonia, a large part of what is today northwestern Latvia and southwestern Estonia. They spoke the Uralic Livonian language, a language which is closely related to Estonian and Finnish...

 villages. See Cape Kolka

Cape Kolka

Cape Kolka - cape on the Baltic Sea, near the entry to Gulf of Riga, in Livonian coast, in the Courland historical region of Latvia. The cape is surrounded by the Irbe Strait which serves as the natural border with Estonia. Cape Kolka represents the southwestern limit of the Gulf of Riga.Cape...

 and villages Vaide

Vaide

Vaide is a populated place in Kolka parish, Dundaga municipality, Latvia. One of the twelve Livonian villages on Līvõd rānda - the Livonian Coast.Other names: Vayde,Vaides Ciems....

, Saunags

Saunags

Saunags is a populated place in Kolka parish, Dundaga municipality, Latvia, located 11 km from the Cape Kolka, within the borders of Slītere National Park. It is one of the oldest of the twelve Livonian villages on the Līvõd rānda - the Livonian Coast...

, Pitrags

Pitrags

Pitrags is a populated place in Kolka parish, Dundaga municipality, Latvia at the mouth of the river Pitraga. One of twelve Livonian villages....

.

External links

• Northern Kurzeme
• http://www.slitere.gov.lv/en_territories_fauna.htm