Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area
| Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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| Location |
 BoliviaSanta Cruz Department |
| Coordinates | 19°04′S 61°15′W / 19.067°S 61.250°WCoordinates: 19°04′S 61°15′W / 19.067°S 61.250°W |
| Area | 34,411 km² |
| Established | September 21, 1995 |
| Governing body | Servicio Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (SERNAP) |
Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area (Parque Nacional y Area Natural de Manejo Integrado Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco) is the biggest national park in Bolivia and one of the largest in South America. It is a protected area in the region of the Gran Chaco and has a larger surface area than Belgium. It is situated in the south of Santa Cruz Department on the border with Paraguay in the Cordillera Province (Charagua Municipality) and Chiquitos Province (Pailón Municipality and San José de Chiquitos Municipality).
Kaa-Iya is a term from Guarani mythology which means "mountain owners", or a place where riches are found, in the sense of abundance of natural resources and the relationship between man and nature.
It is principally known for containing the largest tropical wooded area in the world. It also contains an incredible range of animal species, most notably the last remaining large felidae and more than 100 other distinct species of mammal.
880 species of vascular plants and 28 species of spore plants (plants without flowers) have been registered in the National Park, as well as an estimated 1500 species of higher plants. Some examples which stand out are the red quebracho (Schinopsis lorentzii), black soto (Schinopsis cornuta), black guayacán (Izozogia nelly), cuchi (Myracrodruon urundeuva), purple guayacán (Bulnesia sarmientoi), soto de arenales (Schinopsis corneta), and cupesí (Prosopis chilensis).
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Wikipedia