Which countries have the most National Parks by number, land area, and percentage of land area to support the conservation of animals? 

SafarisAfricana, a website based in the United Kingdom that researches safari destinations and experiences, published a blog article on National Parks around the world.  

First, what do conservationalists mean by ‘National Park’? The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has clear definitions for the designation of a National Park. The IUCN stated in 1969 that a National Park must be a large area of land with one or several ecosystems, unaltered by humans, where plant and animal species, geomorphological sites and habitats, are of special scientific, educational, and recreational interest, or which contain a landscape of great beauty. The country’s authorities must have taken steps to conserve and enforce the respect of the whole area. Visitors are allowed to enter under special conditions. 

In 1971, the IUCN declared that a National Park should have a minimum size of 1,000 hectares within zones in which protection of nature takes precedence, with adequate legal protection, and the finances and staffing to manage the area to prevent the exploitation of natural resources through sport, hunting, fishing, facilities, and the need for management. 

Therefore, the government of a country plays a major role in the establishment, management, and protection of their National Parks. Game reserves, private land given over to wildlife, and land protected by a country outside of IUCN recognition, are not designated as National Parks.

Australia has the most National Parks of any country in the world. The top 10 countries with the most National Parks include:

Position	Country	Number of National Parks
1	Australia	685
2	Thailand	147
3	India	116
4	Brazil	72
5	Israel	69
6	Mexico	67
7	United States of America	62
8	Colombia	60
9	Indonesia	54
10	Russia	48

Canada has the largest land area designated for National Parks of any country in the world. The top 10 countries with the largest land area for National Parks include:

Position	Country	# National Parks	Total land area
1	Canada	47	377,000 km2
2	Australia	685	335,062 km2
3	Brazil	72	250,000 km2
4	Zambia	28	240,836 km2
5	USA	61	210,000 km2
6	Venezuela	46	199,418 km2
7	Colombia	60	169,545 km2
8	Indonesia	54	160,520 km2
9	Chile	41	146,046 km2
10	Russia	48	141,200 km2

Zambia is the top country with the largest percentage (%) area of land given over to National Parks. Zambia has 32% (a third) of its whole country designated for National Parks. The equation to determine the percentage of a country’s land area is the total land area for National Parks divided by the total land area of the whole country multiplied by 100. The top 10 countries with the largest percentage of land area for National Parks include:

Position	Country	# National Parks	% of country land area
1	Zambia	28	32%
2	Israel	69	30%
3	Costa Rica	29	25%
4	Nepal	12	23%
5	Venezuela	46	22%
6	Bhutan	5	21%
7	Chile	41	19%
8	Paraguay	15	15%
9	Namibia	20	13%
10	Colombia	60	13%

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM