Virunga National Park

Virunga — Africa's oldest national park, home to mountain gorillas and active volcanoes in DRC.

Country:Democratic Republic of the Congo

Language:English; French

Published:2025-09-10

Audience:Travellers, conservation advocates, wildlife enthusiasts

Virunga National Park is Africa's oldest national park, established in 1925 in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It covers about 7,800 km² and stretches from the Virunga Mountains in the south to the Rwenzori Mountains in the north. The park is home to about a third of the world's critically endangered mountain gorillas, as well as hippos, elephants, chimpanzees and okapi. The landscape includes active volcanoes (Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira), glaciers, lava plains, savannas, swamps and forests. Virunga was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and has been on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 1994 due to armed conflict and poaching. Despite challenges, dedicated rangers continue to protect the park.

Keywords

Virunga

DRC

UNESCO

mountain gorillas

Nyiragongo

conservation

Source & licence

Source: Wikipedia

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virunga_National_Park

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

Wikipedia attribution required under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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