Munzur Valley National Park
| Munzur Valley National Park | |
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| Munzur Vadisi Milli Parkı | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Landscape at Ovacık, Tunceli
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 Munzur Valley NP
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| Location | Tunceli Province, Turkey |
| Nearest city | Tunceli |
| Coordinates | 39°16′37″N 039°17′33″E / 39.27694°N 39.29250°ECoordinates: 39°16′37″N 039°17′33″E / 39.27694°N 39.29250°E |
| Area | 420 km2 (160 sq mi) |
| Established | December 21, 1971 |
| Governing body | Directorate-General of Nature Protection and National Parks Ministry of Environment and Forest |
The Munzur Valley National Park (Turkish: Munzur Vadisi Milli Parkı), established on December 21, 1971, is the largest and the most biodiverse national park in Turkey. It is located at the Munzur Valley of Munzur Mountain Range within Tunceli Province in eastern Anatolia.
The Munzur Valley National Park, part of the Eastern Anatolian mountainous ecoregion, is one of the richest floristic areas of Anatolia. The national park was established to protect the region’s wildlife and scenic beauty.
The protected area is administered by the Directorate-General of Nature Protection and National Parks (Turkish: Doğa Koruma ve Milli Parklar Genel Müdürlüğü) of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, although even outside of the administered area the landscape is very well preserved. A large part of this may be due to the Alevi inhabitants of the region, who respect nature as part of their religious beliefs.
The Turkish government is planning to construct 8 hydroelectric dams which will forever destroy the cultural and natural heritage of Dersim and Munzur. The main aim of these dams is to displace the Kurdish Alevi population, to erase the Kurdish heritage of the area, and to limit movements of the PKK, which enjoys support from the majority of the Kurds in Turkey. Similar dams with the aim of destroying Kurdish culture and heritage have been constructed in the past, most notably in the Urfa region. Another one is planned in the Batman region; the Ilisu dam will destroy the 12,000 year old ancient city of Hasankeyf and will be completed in 2018.
The national park is situated between 8 km (5.0 mi) northwest from the city center of Tunceli and Ovacık town, which is 65 km (40 mi) far from the provincial capital. It extends along the Munzur Valley to the Munzur Mountains, which rise up to 3,300 m (10,800 ft) high Amsl in the north. The park spans an area of 420 km2 (160 sq mi).
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Wikipedia