Thousands of kilometers of pristine beauty: where is the largest reserve in the world

Almost all countries of the world have nature reserves, national parks and other specially protected natural areas. But only on the island of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, there is a unique national park, which has no equal in area. We offer to make a trip to Greenland National Park - the endless world of pristine Arctic nature - and get acquainted with its inhabitants.

Greenland National Park is the largest and northernmost park on the globe. Its area is 972,000 square meters. km, which is about 45% of the total island of Greenland.

The place for organizing the national park in the north-eastern part of the island was not chosen at all by chance. This is one of the most sparsely populated regions of the globe, where human economic activity had practically no effect on natural ecosystems. After all, the population of Greenland does not exceed 60,000 people and is concentrated mainly in coastal villages in the southern part of the island, where the climate is not so severe. The vast majority of the population of the island are the Greenland Eskimos, which make up about 90% of the total population. They, as a rule, lead a traditional lifestyle, engaged in fishing for marine inhabitants and hunting. The presence of people in the park is minimized: these are park employees involved in security and scientific research, the number of which does not exceed 60 people in the summer season. There is a weather station, a scientific center, as well as several security posts.

Greenland National Park was established in 1974, and after 3 years received the status of a biosphere reserve. Its main goal is to protect the unique ecosystems of the Arctic tundra, as well as to monitor their condition in connection with the particular vulnerability of northern landscapes.

The climate in the Greenland National Park is very severe. In the depths of the island, winter temperatures are kept at minus 40-50 ° С. On the coast, the climate is milder, and in winter the average temperature here is around minus 5-10 ° C of frost. But even in summer it is not very warm, mainly + 5-10 ° С, and the coastal area even in July is covered with drifting ice.

The vast majority of the reserve is occupied by ice open spaces, and moss-lichen tundra with a certain amount of oppressed dwarf birches and willows are widespread in the territory free of ice. On the northern coast, where the climate is the most severe, arctic deserts prevail, and any vegetation is extremely rare here.

Despite such harsh climatic conditions and a sparse flora, the northeastern part of the island of Greenland is a paradise for musk oxen, which, according to various estimates, number from 5 to 15 thousand individuals. Other typical inhabitants of the park are polar bears, arctic foxes, ermines and lemmings. During the short polar summer, migratory birds fly on the coast, which breed here.

In the summer, the territory of the park is accessible for tourists. Travelers who come here have a unique opportunity to touch the unique nature of the Arctic, so harsh and so fragile.

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