Corcovado National Park (Chile) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Corcovado National Park |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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View of Yelcho River in the park
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 Corcovado National Park
Location in Chile
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| Location | Los Lagos Region, Chile |
| Nearest city | Chaitén |
| Area | 2,096 km² |
| Established | 2005 |
| Governing body | Corporación Nacional Forestal |
Corcovado National Park is a huge protected area in Chile's Los Lagos Region. It covers about 2,096 square kilometers (726,000 acres). This amazing park is filled with Valdivian temperate rainforest, tall mountains, clear alpine lakes, and rushing rivers.
The park is located along the coast, next to the Gulf of Corcovado. It also includes two famous volcanoes, Corcovado and Yanteles. Right now, there are no special paths or places for the public to visit inside the park.
How Corcovado National Park Was Created
Corcovado National Park was created through a special partnership. It was a joint effort between private groups and the government. Most of the land was already owned by the Chilean government. It was mainly used by the Chilean army.
In 1994, a group called the Conservation Land Trust (now Tompkins Conservation) bought a large piece of land. This land was about 84,000 hectares (208,000 acres). An American who loved nature, Peter Buckley, also helped with this purchase. This big purchase started the idea of turning the area into a national park.
In 2002, the founder of Tompkins Conservation, Doug Tompkins, spoke with the president of Chile, Ricardo Lagos. Doug Tompkins offered to give the private land around Corcovado to the people of Chile. In return, he asked if the government would add its nearby land to create a new national park.
The army agreed that their land was not essential for their needs. Both President Lagos and General Juan Emilio Cheyre, the head of the army, liked the idea. Thanks to President Lagos's strong support, Corcovado National Park was officially created in January 2005. It became Chile's fourth largest national park.
The film 180 Degrees South (made in 2010) showed an adventure to climb Cerro Corcovado.
Nature and Wildlife in the Park
This wild park covers about 2,938 square kilometers (726,000 acres). It has around 82 lakes. Many of these lakes are surrounded by very old forests. Pumas sometimes hide in the shadows of these forests.
The park is home to many different kinds of plants and animals. There are about 18 types of mammals, 64 kinds of birds, and 133 types of plants. The places where the Corcovado and Tic Toc rivers meet the Gulf of Corcovado are great for wildlife.
Huge groups of shorebirds cover the beaches. Penguins waddle around on the rocks. Marine animals like seals and sea lions live in the bay. Scientists also found that the bay is a very important place for blue whales to have their babies. Blue whales are the biggest animals on Earth!
The bay used to be a hiding spot for pirates. Now, there is a plan to make it Chile's first marine sanctuary. This would help protect the wildlife from the ocean floor all the way to the mountain tops.
See also
In Spanish: Parque nacional Corcovado (Chile) para niños
