Losiny Ostrov National Park

Losiny Ostrov National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Upper Yauza Swamps, the city of Balashikha
Location	Russia
Nearest city	Moscow
Coordinates	55°51′49″N 37°46′39″E / 55.86361°N 37.77750°E / 55.86361; 37.77750Coordinates: 55°51′49″N 37°46′39″E / 55.86361°N 37.77750°E / 55.86361; 37.77750
Area	116 km2 (45 sq mi)
Established	1983

Losiny Ostrov National Park (Russian: Национальный парк "Лосиный Остров", literally - Elk (Moose) Island) is the first national park of Russia. It is located in Moscow and Moscow Oblast and is the third largest forest in a city of comparable size, after Table Mountain National Park (Cape Town) and Pedra Branca State Park (Rio de Janeiro).

Losiny Ostrov is one of a few locations in Moscow where one can see wild animals in their natural environment, including the moose. In total there are 44 species of mammals and 170 bird species, 9 amphibian species, 5 reptile species and 19 fish species.

The total area of the national park in 2001 was 116.21 km², (28,717 acres). Forest occupied 96.04 km² (83% of area) of the total, of which 30.77 km² (27%) fall within the boundaries of Moscow city. Other land types in the park include 1.69 km² (2%) of water and 5.74 km², or 5% of swamp. An additional 66.45 km² is reserved for expansion of the park.

The park is divided into the three functional zones:

Geographically, the park occupies the joint of the Meshchera Lowlands and Klin-Dmitrov chine, which is the watershed of the Moskva River and Klyazma River. The relief of the territory is a slightly undulating plain. The true altitudes of the locality vary from 146 m (floodlands of the Yauza River) to 175 m above sea level. In the center part of the park relief is expressed weakly. The most picturesque locality is on the southwest of the park, where the above-floodplain terraces of the Yauza River are clearly expressed with the sufficiently steep slopes to its floodlands.