Majella National Park
| Parco Nazionale della Majella | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Majella Massif
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 Maiella
Location of the park
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| Location | Abruzzo |
| Nearest city | Sulmona |
| Coordinates | 42°4′55″N 14°3′36″E / 42.08194°N 14.06000°ECoordinates: 42°4′55″N 14°3′36″E / 42.08194°N 14.06000°E |
| Area | 628.38 km2 (242.62 sq mi) |
| Established | 1991 |
| Governing body | Ministero dell'Ambiente |
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The Majella National Park (Italian: Parco Nazionale della Majella) is a national park located in the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila, in the region Abruzzo, Italy.
It is centered on the Majella massif, whose highest peak is Monte Amaro (2,793 m).
The area of the Majella national Park (740.95 km²), especially the Montagna della Majella, has been subject to a major international geoscientific research Project, TaskForceMajella from 1998 up to 2005.
The park contains about 500 kilometres of hiking trails through the mountains, cave paintings in Grotta Sant'Angelo and Grotta del Cavallone (the latter being one of the deepest caves in Europe open to the public).
Tourist centers located in the park include:
The Majella National park is maybe one of the best preserved apennine ecosystems. Due to its altitude, inaccessibility and prominence most of the park's territories are uninhabited and so the human-made structures, including skiing resorts and roads, are fewer than those in other national parks of Italy. This condition favored the apennine wildlife which is shown here in all its greatness. The most representative animal of the Majella territories is the Apennine wolf which is also present in the park's logo and it relies on a population of 70 estimated wolves distributed in eleven packs across the main mountain ranges of the protected area. It is believed that the wolf population density of the Majella national park is one of the highest in Italy and in the world even if compared to Yellowstone national park.
Notable also the presence of species of the following animals:
The amphibians and reptiles that live in this mountainous landscape are the spectacled salamander, the yellow-billed toad and the unique Orsini's viper.
Also goshawk, buzzard, rock partridge, alpine and red-billed chough, peregrine falcon and sparrow hawk are some important bird species that breed inside the park.
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Wikipedia