National Parks in Tamil Nadu – There are a total of 106 national parks in India, with 5 of them located in the state of Tamil Nadu. With the use of a map, we shall cover all 5 national parks in Tamil Nadu state in depth in this article. If you are prepared for a competitive exam, you should read this article thoroughly.
List of National Parks in Tamil Nadu
The names of all 5 National Parks in Tamil Nadu state are given in the following table.
S.N. | National Park | Districts | Year | Area [km2] |
1. | Mudumalai National Park | Nilgiri | 1940 | 103.23 |
2. | Anaimalai National Park | Coimbatore and Tiruppur | 1976 | 117.1 |
3. | Guindy National Park | Chennai | 1977 | 2.7 |
4. | Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park | Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi | 1986 | 526.02 |
5. | Mukurthi National Park | Nilgiri | 2001 | 78.46 |
The map below shows all 5 National Parks in Tamil Nadu.
So now we will read about all the national parks in Tamil Nadu in detail.
Mudumalai National Park
- Mudumalai National Park is located in the Nilgiris district of the state of Tamil Nadu and is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
- This national park shares a border with the states of Karnataka and Kerala.
- It was established in the year 1940 as a wildlife sanctuary and its area is 321 km2.
- It was declared as a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger in April 2007 and notified as ‘Critical Tiger Habitat’ in December 2007.
- The national park has been part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve since 1986 and was declared a tiger reserve together with a buffer zone of 367.59 km2.
- On its west it is situated Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and on its north Bandipur National Park.
Flora and Fauna
- Animals like tigers, leopards, jungle cats, golden jackals, and sloth bears are found in this national park.
- Mudumalai National Park has 498 plant species, including 154 trees, 77 shrubs, 214 medicinal and 53 vine species.
Annamalai National Park
- Annamalai National Park, earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park and Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Annamalai National Park is located in the Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts of Tamil Nadu state.
- It was given the status of a National Park in the year 1976 and this National Park is spread over an area of 958 km2.
- This national park was declared the fourth tiger reserve of Tamil Nadu in the year 2007.
Flora and Fauna
- Animals like the Asian elephant, Nilgiri Tahr, lion-tailed macaque, spotted deer, barking deer, Nilgiri langur, etc. are found in this national park.
Guindy National Park
- Guindy National Park is located in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu.
- It was given the status of a National Park in the year 1977.
- Its total area is 2.7 km2.
- This national park is an extension of the grounds surrounding the Raj Bhavan, the residence of the Governor of Tamil Nadu.
Flora and Fauna
- The park has a role in both ex-situ and in-situ conservation and is home to 400 blackbucks, 2,000 spotted deer, 24 jackals, a wide variety of snakes, geckos, tortoises, and over 130 species of birds, 14 species of mammals, over 60 species of butterflies and spiders each, a wealth of different invertebrates
- Various types of butterflies, grasshoppers, and spiders are found in this park including chinkara, spotted deer, jackal, tortoise, and snake.
Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
- The Gulf of Mannar National Park consists of 21 islands in the Gulf of Mannar, off the coast of Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi districts in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
- In 1986, it was given the status of a National Park.
- The total area of this park is 560 km2.
- This national park is the core area of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve.
Flora and Fauna
- The primary species in this national park is the dugong [sea cow], a fragile marine mammal. Some of the marine animals present in this national park include Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, finless porpoises, spinner dolphins, common dolphins, Riso’s dolphins, melon-headed whales, and sperm whales.
- This national park has marine components such as coral reefs, seaweed populations, sea grasses, and mangroves.
- Except for the Krusadai, Musal, and Nallathanni islands, which have antipoaching sheds, the islands are uninhabited. Along the coast surrounding the park, there are over 125 settlements that sustain approximately 100,000 people, the majority of them are Marakeyars, a native group mostly involved in fishing.
Mukurthi National Park
- Mukurthi National Park is located in the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu state in South India.
- In 2001, it was given the status of a National Park.
- This national park is spread over an area of 78.46 km2 and is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
- This national park was created for the protection of Nilgiri Tahr, the state animal of Tamil Nadu.
Flora and Fauna
- Mammals like Nilgiri Tahr, Asiatic elephant, tiger, and Nilgiri langur along with animals like leopards, jungle cats; barking deer, sambar, and wild dog are found in this national park.
- Trees of Rhododendron, Orchid, etc. are found in this park along with the ecology of Shola grassland.
Tiger Reserves in Tamil Nadu
At present, there are a total of 5 Tiger Reserves in the state of Tamil Nadu. Whose names, total area, and declared year are given in the following table.
S.N. | Tiger Reserve | Declared Year | Total Area (km2) |
1. | Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve | 1988 | 1601.54 |
2. | Anamalai Tiger Reserve | 2008 | 1479.87 |
3. | Mudumalai Tiger Reserve | 2007 | 688.59 |
4. | Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve | 2013 | 1408.40 |
5. | Srivilliputtur Megamalai Tiger Reserve | 2021 | 1016.57 |
The total area under reserves | 3609.94 | 6194.97 |
Biosphere Reserves in Tamil Nadu
Presently there are 3 Biosphere Reserves in the state of Tamil Nadu, whose names and total area are given in the following table.
S.N. | Biosphere Reserve | Area |
1. | Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve | 2,53,800 Hectare |
2. | Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve | 10,50,000 Hectare |
3. | Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve | 1,67,236 Hectare |
Total Area | 14,71,036 Hectare |
National Parks in Tamil Nadu FAQs
Question – How many national parks are in Tamil Nadu?
Answer – The state of Tamil Nadu has total 5 National Parks which are Mukurthi National Park, Mudumalai National Park, Guindy National Park, Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) National Park, and Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.
Question – Which is the largest national park in Tamil Nadu?
Answer – Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park with an area of 526.02 km2. Spread across 21 islands is the largest National Park in Tamil Nadu
Question – Which is the smallest national park in Tamil Nadu?
Answer – Guindy National Park of Chennai with an area of 2.7 km2. is the smallest National park in Tamil Nadu. It is also the 8th smallest national park in India.
So in this way, we have covered all the important facts about all 5 National Parks in Tamil Nadu State from various exam points of view. Hope you liked this article.
Similarly, if you want to read about the National Parks of other states, then click on the link given in the following table.