Kaziranga National Park

News: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, along with Heads of Missions from 61 countries, visited the Kaziranga National Park on February 24, 2025.

About Kaziranga National Park

• Kaziranga National Park is located in Assam. It covers an area of approximately 1,032 square kilometers.
• It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.
• UNESCO World Heritage Site: Kaziranga was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 due to its rich wildlife, especially the one-horned rhinoceros. It is considered one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by human activity.
• It is also designated as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the protection of avifaunal species.
• Vegetation: The park’s varying altitudes in the east and west create four main types of vegetation: alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests.
• Flora: The park is home to famous trees like Indian gooseberry, cotton tree, and elephant apple. Additionally, a diverse range of aquatic plants thrives in its lakes, ponds, and along riverbanks.
• Fauna: Kaziranga is a biodiversity hotspot. Apart from the rhinoceros, the park is home to a variety of wildlife, including tigers, elephants, wild buffaloes, swamp deer, and numerous bird species.  It is also an important destination for birdwatchers, with over 480 species of birds recorded in the area.
• Significance:
  • Kaziranga is home to two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
  • The name “Kaziranga” originates from Karbi, the name of a woman who ruled the region in ancient times.
  • The landscape of Kaziranga is shaped by alluvial deposits from the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries