The Chréa National Park (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
:الحديقة الوطنية الشريعة) is one of the largest
national parks of Algeria. It is located in
Blida Province
Blida ( ar, ولاية البليدة) is a provinces of Algeria, province (''wilaya'') in Algeria. Its capital is Blida. The Chréa National Park is situated here.
History
The province was created from parts of Alger (department) and El Asnam d ...
, named after
Chréa, a town near this park. The park, located in a
mountainous area known as the ''
Blidean Atlas'' (which is part of the
Tell Atlas
The Tell Atlas ( ar, الاطلس التلي, Latn, ar, al-ʾaṭlas al-tlī) is a mountain chain over in length, belonging to the Atlas mountain ranges in North Africa, stretching mainly across northern Algeria, with ends in both north-easter ...
) includes the ''
ski station of Chréa'', one of the few ski stations in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
where skiing can be done on natural snow, and the ''
grotto
A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...
of
Chiffa
Chiffa is a town and gorge in the Tell Atlas Mountains of northern Algeria. This gorge is one of the few habitat areas in Algeria that supports a sub-population of the Barbary macaque
The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Ba ...
''.
Founded in 1997, it covers an area of 36,985 hectares.
The national park is home to over 1240 plant and animal species, such as the Atlas cedar (''Cedrus atlantica'') and the monkey (''Macaca sylvanus'').
Natural features
The Chréa National Park is home to a varied
flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
E ...
and
fauna
Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...
. Its ancient
Atlas cedar forests is
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
for a population of the
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
Barbary macaque
The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Barbary ape, is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar.
It is the type species of the ...
. This national park has one of the few such
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
areas in Algeria that support a sub-population of the
Barbary macaque
The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Barbary ape, is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar.
It is the type species of the ...
, ''Macaca sylvanus''.
[C. Michael Hogan, 2008]
References
*C. Michael Hogan (2008
''Barbary Macaque: Macaca sylvanus'', Globaltwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg
External links
Park data on UNEP-WPMCChréa National Park by Drone
Line notes
National parks of Algeria
Biosphere reserves of Algeria
Geography of Blida Province
Protected areas established in 1985
Tourist attractions in Blida Province
1985 establishments in Algeria
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