Wangchuck Centennial Park in northern Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

 is the kingdom's largest 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...

, spanning 4914 square kilometres (1,897.3 sq mi) over five districts

Districts of Bhutan

Bhutan comprises twenty districts .-Districts:-District Statistics:The results of the 2005 census appear below:...

, occupying significant portions of northern Bumthang

Bumthang District

Bumthang District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan. It is the most historic dzongkhag if the number of ancient temples and sacred sites is counted...

, Lhuntse, and Wangdue Phodrang Districts. It borders Tibet

Tibet

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

 to the north and is bound by tributaries of the Wong Chhu (Raidāk)

Raidak River

The Raidak River is a tributary of the Brahmaputra River, and a trans-boundary river, flows through Bhutan, India and Bangladesh.-Bhutan:...

 basin to the west. Wangchuck Centennial directly abuts Jigme Dorji National Park

Jigme Dorji National Park

The Jigme Dorji National Park, named after the late Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, is the second-largest National Park of Bhutan. It occupies almost the entire Gasa District, as well as the northern areas of Thimphu District, Paro District, Punakha, and Wangdue Phodrang Districts...

 and Bumdeling

Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary

The Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary , which also contains the former Kulong Chu Wildlife Sanctuary, covers in north-eastern Bhutan at elevations between and . The Sanctuary covers most of Trashiyangtse District, including Bumdeling Gewog. The Sanctuary was planned in 1995 and established in 1998...

 and Thrumshingla National Park

Thrumshingla National Park

Thrumshingla National Park in central Bhutan covers just over across four districts, but primarily in Mongar. It is bisected by the Lateral Road, and contains the Thrumshing La pass.-Flora and fauna:...

 in northern Bhutan, and is further connected to Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park

Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park

Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park covers an area of in central Bhutan. The Park occupies most of Trongsa District, as well as parts of Sarpang, Tsirang, Wangdue Phodrang, and Zhemgang Districts. Jigme Singye abuts Royal Manas National Park to the southeast...

 in central Bhutan via "biological corridors." Thus, most of northern Bhutan is part of these protected areas.

Wangchuck Centennial was established on December 12, 2008 in honor of the Wangchuck dynasty, founded in 1907. It contains headwaters of four major river systems: Punatsang Chhu, Mangde Chhu, Chamkhar Chhu, and Kuri Chhu

Kuri Chhu

The Kuri Chhu, also known as the Lhobrak, is a major river of eastern Bhutan, that has formed a scenic valley with high peaks and steep hills...

. Wangchuck Centennial also contains the various middle-Himalayan ecological biomes, ranging from blue pine forests to alpine meadows, at altitudes from 2500 metres (8,202.1 ft) to 5100 metres (16,732.3 ft).

Flora and fauna

The park is home to over 200 species of vascular plants, 23 species of large mammals and over 100 bird species. Notable wildlife species inhabiting Wangchuck Centennial include the bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), snow leopard

Snow Leopard

The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...

 (Uncia uncia), wolf, takin

Takin

The Takin , also called cattle chamois or gnu goat, is a goat-antelope found in the Eastern Himalayas. There are four subspecies: B. taxicolor taxicolor, the Mishmi Takin; B. taxicolor bedfordi, the Shanxi or Golden Takin; B. taxicolor tibetana, the Tibetan or Sichuan Takin; and B. taxicolor...

 (Budorcas taxicolor) and Himalayan black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus).