Guaramacal National Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Guaramacal National Park Parque Nacional Guaramacal
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Guaramacal National Park Parque Nacional Guaramacal Location in Venezuela
Location	Venezuela
Area	215 km2 (83 sq mi)
Established	May 25, 1988 (1988-05-25)

Guaramacal National Park, also known as General Cruz Carrillo National Park, is a special protected area in Venezuela. It's like a giant natural playground located between the states of Portuguesa and Trujillo. This park covers about 215 square kilometers (that's about 83 square miles!). It's home to a part of the Andes Mountains called the Guaramacal Branch. The park's lowest points are around 1,600 to 1,800 meters high, and its highest point, in the Guaramacal moor, reaches an amazing 3,100 meters!

Discovering Guaramacal National Park

Guaramacal National Park was created on May 25, 1988. It is a very important place for nature because it protects many unique plants and animals. The park is known for its high level of endemism. This means it has many species of plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world! One special plant found here is the palmera frailejón (Ruilopezia paltoniode).

Plants of Guaramacal

The plants in Guaramacal National Park are still being studied by scientists. So far, they have found about 1,227 different types of plants! The park is especially rich in beautiful orchids and interesting ferns. Many of these plants are endemic, meaning they only grow in this park.

The first studies of plants in the park happened in 1987. They found 482 different plant species. Later, in 2000, a bigger study found even more. Scientists discovered 147 plant families, 517 genera, and at least 1,227 species. They even described 33 new types of plants that had never been known to science before!

Images for kids

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  A beautiful lake in the park

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  A view of the park's landscape

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  The entrance to Guaramacal National Park

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  A heron near Laguna de los Cedros

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  Another scenic view of the park

See also

• List of national parks of Venezuela
• Mochima National Park
• In Spanish: Parque nacional Guaramacal para niños