Indian Geography
🔒 Log in to trackNational parks, tiger reserves and wildlife
🔒 Log in to trackIndia's first national park: Hailey National Park (1936), now Jim Corbett NP (Uttarakhand) — also the first Project Tiger reserve (1973). Project Elephant began in 1992. The first biosphere reserve was Nilgiri (1986).
National parks — speciality animal / feature
| National park | State / UT | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Corbett | Uttarakhand | First NP; tigers; Ramganga river |
| Kaziranga | Assam | One-horned rhinoceros; UNESCO WHS (1985) |
| Manas | Assam | Tiger, golden langur, pygmy hog; UNESCO WHS |
| Gir | Gujarat | Last home of the Asiatic lion |
| Sundarbans | West Bengal | Royal Bengal tiger, mangroves; UNESCO WHS |
| Keoladeo (Ghana) | Rajasthan (Bharatpur) | Birds, earlier Siberian cranes; UNESCO WHS |
| Ranthambore, Sariska | Rajasthan | Tiger reserves |
| Kanha | Madhya Pradesh | Hard-ground barasingha; setting linked to The Jungle Book |
| Bandhavgarh | Madhya Pradesh | High tiger density |
| Kuno | Madhya Pradesh | Cheetah reintroduction (from Namibia, Sept 2022) |
| Dudhwa | Uttar Pradesh | Swamp deer, rhino rehabilitation |
| Hemis | Ladakh | Snow leopard; largest national park of India |
| Dachigam | J&K | Hangul (Kashmir stag) |
| Great Himalayan | Himachal Pradesh | UNESCO WHS (2014) |
| Nanda Devi & Valley of Flowers | Uttarakhand | UNESCO WHS; alpine flowers |
| Keibul Lamjao | Manipur | Only floating NP; Sangai (brow-antlered deer) |
| Namdapha | Arunachal Pradesh | Four big cats incl. clouded and snow leopard |
| Silent Valley | Kerala | Lion-tailed macaque |
| Eravikulam | Kerala | Nilgiri tahr |
| Periyar | Kerala | Elephants; tiger reserve around a lake |
| Bandipur, Nagarhole | Karnataka | Tigers, elephants (Nilgiri Biosphere) |
| Bhitarkanika | Odisha | Saltwater crocodiles, mangroves |
| Simlipal | Odisha | Tigers, elephants, biosphere reserve |
Gahirmatha (Odisha) is a marine sanctuary famous for mass nesting (arribada) of Olive Ridley turtles.
Why India protects its wildlife
India is one of the world's megadiverse countries. Protection runs through national parks (strictest), wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves, biosphere reserves and Ramsar wetlands. The dates chain to memorise: 1936 - first national park, the Hailey NP (now Jim Corbett NP, Uttarakhand); 1973 - Project Tiger launched from Corbett; 1986 - first biosphere reserve, Nilgiri; 1992 - Project Elephant.
The park - state - animal triangle
Learn any two corners and you can answer the third:
| National park | State/UT | Famous for |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Corbett | Uttarakhand | First NP; tigers; Ramganga river |
| Kaziranga | Assam | One-horned rhino; UNESCO site (1985); Brahmaputra bank |
| Manas | Assam | Golden langur, pygmy hog; UNESCO site |
| Gir | Gujarat | Last home of the Asiatic lion |
| Sundarbans | West Bengal | Royal Bengal tiger, mangroves; UNESCO site |
| Keoladeo (Bharatpur) | Rajasthan | Birds; UNESCO site |
| Ranthambore, Sariska, Desert NP | Rajasthan | Tigers; Great Indian Bustard in Desert NP |
| Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna, Satpura | Madhya Pradesh | Barasingha in Kanha; tigers in Bandhavgarh |
| Kuno | Madhya Pradesh | Cheetahs reintroduced from Namibia (Sept 2022) |
| Dudhwa | UP | Swamp deer; rhino rehabilitation |
| Hemis | Ladakh | Snow leopard; largest national park of India |
| Dachigam | J&K | Hangul (Kashmir stag) |
| Great Himalayan; Nanda Devi & Valley of Flowers | HP; Uttarakhand | UNESCO natural sites; alpine flowers |
| Keibul Lamjao | Manipur | Only floating NP (on Loktak lake); Sangai deer |
| Namdapha | Arunachal Pradesh | Four big cats (tiger, leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard) |
| Silent Valley; Eravikulam; Periyar | Kerala | Lion-tailed macaque; Nilgiri tahr; elephants |
| Bandipur, Nagarhole | Karnataka | Tigers, elephants (Nilgiri Biosphere) |
| Bhitarkanika; Simlipal | Odisha | Saltwater crocodiles; tigers and elephants |
| Khangchendzonga | Sikkim | UNESCO mixed site |
Outside the parks but in the same questions
Gahirmatha (Odisha) marine sanctuary - mass nesting (arribada) of Olive Ridley turtles. Chilika (Odisha) - Irrawaddy dolphins and winter birds. Keibul Lamjao's floating meadows (phumdis) carry the Sangai deer of Loktak lake.
State-level superlatives
Madhya Pradesh holds the largest number of national parks and is called the "Tiger State" (it led the last tiger counts). Assam's Kaziranga, Manas and the Siberian-crane story of Keoladeo are the evergreen one-liners of this section.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Protection years: first NP, Project Tiger, biosphere, Project Elephant
'Which was the first national park', 'Project Tiger was launched in', 'first biosphere reserve'.
Chain: 1936 - Hailey NP (now Jim Corbett, Uttarakhand); 1973 - Project Tiger (from Corbett); 1986 - Nilgiri biosphere reserve; 1992 - Project Elephant.
Project Tiger is the flagship conservation programme; Corbett is its first reserve.
The biosphere-reserve idea (11 in the first list) is different from a national park - do not mix the two 'firsts'.
Project Tiger, launched in 1973, began with which reserve?
Show solutionHide solution
Jim Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand) - which itself was India's first national park, set up in 1936 as Hailey National Park.
National park ↔ state/UT
A park name with four states as options, or 'how many parks does X state have'.
Assam: Kaziranga, Manas, Dibru-Saikhowa, Nameri. MP: Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna, Satpura, Kuno.
Rajasthan: Ranthambore, Sariska, Keoladeo, Desert NP. Kerala: Silent Valley, Eravikulam, Periyar.
Special states: Hemis - Ladakh, Dachigam - J&K, Keibul Lamjao - Manipur, Namdapha - Arunachal Pradesh, Bhitarkanika - Odisha, Khangchendzonga - Sikkim. Madhya Pradesh has the most national parks.
Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in which state?
Show solutionHide solution
Assam, on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra. Manas is the state's other famous UNESCO-listed park.
Park ↔ famous animal
'Which park is famous for one-horned rhinoceros', 'Asiatic lion is found in', 'only floating national park', animal-first recall.
Rhino - Kaziranga; lion - Gir (Gujarat); tahr - Eravikulam; lion-tailed macaque - Silent Valley; hangul - Dachigam; snow leopard - Hemis.
Sangai deer in the only floating NP - Keibul Lamjao on Loktak lake (Manipur); saltwater crocodile - Bhitarkanika; four big cats - Namdapha.
Tigers have many parks (Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Ranthambore, Sundarbans) - the question usually gives a rarer animal.
The Asiatic lion's last natural home is —
Show solutionHide solution
Gir National Park (Gir forest, Gujarat). Kaziranga shelters the one-horned rhino; Dachigam the hangul deer.
UNESCO natural heritage sites and protected-area categories
'Which national park is a World Heritage Site', 'Khangchendzonga is what type of site', 'biosphere reserve vs national park'.
UNESCO natural sites: Kaziranga, Manas, Keoladeo (1985), Sundarbans (1987), Nanda Devi & Valley of Flowers, Great Himalayan NP, Western Ghats cluster, Khangchendzonga.
Khangchendzonga (Sikkim, 2016) is India's first mixed heritage site (nature + culture).
Categories: national park (strictest) > wildlife sanctuary > biosphere reserve (largest, includes people); Ramsar sites are wetlands.
Khangchendzonga National Park, inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2016, is special because it is —
Show solutionHide solution
A mixed heritage site - it is valued for both its natural features and the culture of the Sikkimese people. It lies in Sikkim.
Wetlands, sanctuaries and mass-nesting sites
'Olive Ridley turtles nest at', 'which lake has Irrawaddy dolphins', 'phumdis are found in', Ramsar wetlands.
Gahirmatha (Odisha) marine sanctuary - mass nesting (arribada) of Olive Ridley turtles; the Odisha coast also has Rushikulya nesting beaches.
Chilika lake (Odisha) - Irrawaddy dolphins and winter migratory birds; Loktak (Manipur) - floating phumdis.
Keoladeo (Bharatpur) - the classic bird sanctuary; the Siberian crane once wintered there.
Olive Ridley turtles are famous for mass nesting (arribada) at which place?
Show solutionHide solution
Gahirmatha, on the Odisha coast - a marine sanctuary where lakhs of turtles nest together; Rushikulya is the other Odisha nesting beach.
Shortcuts that save time
Rhino → Kaziranga; Lion → Gir; Cheetah → Kuno; Snow leopard → Hemis; Hangul → Dachigam; Sangai → Keibul Lamjao; Nilgiri tahr → Eravikulam; Lion-tailed macaque → Silent Valley; Saltwater crocodile → Bhitarkanika; Olive Ridley → Gahirmatha.
Where is the Sangai deer found?
Show solutionHide solution
Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur (on Loktak lake).
1936 first NP (Hailey/Corbett) → 1973 Project Tiger → 1986 first biosphere reserve (Nilgiri) → 1992 Project Elephant.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Putting Kanha in Maharashtra — it is in Madhya Pradesh.
Placing Keoladeo in Gujarat — it is at Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
Saying cheetahs were brought to Gir — they were brought to Kuno (MP).
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Year chain: 1936 Corbett - 1973 Project Tiger - 1986 Nilgiri Biosphere - 1992 Project Elephant.
Rhino-Kaziranga, Lion-Gir, Cheetah-Kuno, Snow leopard-Hemis, Hangul-Dachigam, Sangai-Keibul Lamjao, Tahr-Eravikulam, Macaque-Silent Valley, Crocodile-Bhitarkanika, Olive Ridley-Gahirmatha.
Kaziranga/Manas/Keoladeo UNESCO 1985; Sundarbans 1987; Khangchendzonga = mixed site.
MP = most national parks, "Tiger State"; Hemis = largest NP; Kuno cheetahs came from Namibia.
Practice: 20 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 3 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.