National park

A national park is a park in use for conservation purposes. Often it 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, there is a common idea: the conservation of 'wild nature' for posterity and as a symbol of national pride. An international organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and its World Commission on Protected Areas, has defined "National Park" as its Category II type of protected areas.

While this type of national park had been proposed previously, the United States established the first "public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people", Yellowstone National Park, in 1872. Although Yellowstone was not officially termed a "national park" in its establishing law, it was always termed such in practice and is widely held to be the first and oldest national park in the world. The first area to use "national park" in its creation legislation was the US's Mackinac Island, in 1875. Australia's Royal National Park, established in 1879, was the world's third official national park. In 1895 ownership of Mackinac Island was transferred to the State of Michigan as a state park and national park status was consequently lost. As a result, Australia's Royal National Park is by some considerations the second oldest national park now in existence.

List of national parks of the United States

The United States has 59 protected areas known as national parks that are operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. National parks must be established by an act of the United States Congress. The first national park, Yellowstone, was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created the National Park Service "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Many current National Parks had been previously protected as National Monuments by the President under the Antiquities Act before being upgraded by Congress. Seven national parks (six in Alaska) are paired with a National Preserve. While administered together, they are considered as separate units and their areas are not included in the figures below. The newest national park is Pinnacles National Park, upgraded in 2013.

National park (disambiguation)

A national park is a reserve of land.

National Park may also refer to:

  • National Park, New Jersey
  • National Park, New Zealand
  • National parks of Scotland
  • National parks of England and Wales
  • National Park (band), a music group from Glasgow, Scotland
  • The National Park (Ramat Gan), an urban park in Ramat Gan, Israel
  • The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009), a documentary by filmmaker Ken Burns
  • Nationals Park, the Washington Nationals' baseball field
  • The lands and monuments of the National Park Service of the United States
  • See also

  • Boundary Field, Washington, D.C. (alternate name for National Park)
  • Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C. (built on the site of National Park)
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    Latest News for: national park

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    A Half-Day at Acadia (NPS - National Park Service)

    Public Technologies 23 Mar 2025
    NPS - National Park Service published this content on March 23, 2025, and is solely responsible for ...
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    Extreme weather prompts campfire, charcoal ban in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

    The Herald-Sun 23 Mar 2025
    The ban is consistent with a National Weather Service red flag warning�for the area, rangers said ... .
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    Mountaineers face fines for unauthorized climbs

    Taipei Times 23 Mar 2025
    Mountaineers could be fined or banned from entering national parks for up to three years if they enter parks without permission or cause mountaineering accidents due to inadequate snow and climbing equipment, the National Park Service said yesterday.
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    SpaceX, National Reconnaissance Office rocket launch in Florida: What time is liftoff?

    Florida Today 23 Mar 2025
    Note, there's a charge to park.Playalinda Beach, 1000 Playalinda Beach Road, Canaveral National Seashore. Note, there's a charge to park, and access to Canaveral National Seashore isn't always granted ...
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    10 common pitfalls that can lead to getting lost on a hike

    York News-Times 23 Mar 2025
    National Park Foundation receiving a record-breaking grant of ... The rankings factored in the acreages of 94 different national parks, national military parks, national preserves, and national trails.
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    Enormous apex predator seen for the first time in years near tourist hotspot in haunting ...

    The Daily Mail 23 Mar 2025
    The National Park Service confirmed on Wednesday that fresh grizzly tracks had been found in the park's northern section - officially marking the start of the 2025 grizzly-watching season ... Park.
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    Mammoth Cave cuts raise questions, concerns

    Bowling Green Daily News 23 Mar 2025
    The National Park Service has seen around 1,000 jobs cut, including some ...
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    Construction of £2.5million mosque on the edge of the Lake District starts | Daily Mail Online

    The Daily Mail 23 Mar 2025
    The mosque will fall outside of the Lake District National Park's boundary near Dalton-in Furness in the South Lakes area ... The Lake District is a region and national park in Cumbria in northwest England.
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    Today in History: March 23, ‘Titanic’ wins record-tying 11 Academy Awards

    The Mercury News 23 Mar 2025
    Today is Sunday, March 23, the 82nd day of 2025 ... Today in history. ... National News . ... National News . ... National News . ... National News .. 3 killed and 15 hurt in a shooting at a park in New Mexico’s Las Cruces. National News . ... Actor Randall Park is 51 ... .
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    Village green to be replaced by mosque car park

    AOL 23 Mar 2025
    Villagers are “up in arms” over plans to turn a green space into a mosque car park ... The proposed car park application makes a proportionate case and in line with local, regional and national planning policy and guidance.
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    Spain: Climbers killed in tragic accident, three dead

    Famagusta Gazette 23 Mar 2025
    Three climbers lost their lives on Saturday in a tragic accident in Moncayo National Park, located in the Aragon region of northern Spain, the Spanish Civil Guard confirmed.
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    ‘This is not your grandmother’s Easter Egg Roll’: White House seeks corporate sponsorships for Easter event

    CNN 23 Mar 2025
    The White House, the office of the first lady, Harbinger, the National Park Service and National Park Foundation, and the American Egg Board did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.
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    Peaceful Miệt Thứ makes for a great trip

    Vietnam News 23 Mar 2025
    In addition to experiencing the daily life of the locals, visitors should not miss exploring U Minh Thượng National Park. U Minh Thượng National Park ... The park’s name U Minh means darkness and is a mystery to some.
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    Congolese Residents Flee Along Dangerous Routes to Escape Fighting

    The Epoch Times 23 Mar 2025
    In fear of being caught on main roads, Gafurura traveled through Virunga National Park to Goma, a city of about 2 million people and the largest in eastern DRC, before ...
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