20. National Parks of the United Kingdom

national park / area (km) / description

Lake District 1951 / 2, 280 / rounded mountains and lakes in England; grassland with oak woods; deer and badger

Snowdonia 1951 / 2, 171 / glaciated mountain region in Wales; moors, oak forest, and coastal marsh; water birds

Yorkshire Dales 1954 /1, 761 / Pennine hill land in England, limestone scenery and moors; birdlife

North York Moors 1952 /1, 432 / plateau extending to the coast in England; wooded valleys and heather moors; deer

Peak District 1951 /1, 423/ southern end of the Pennines (hills) in England; heather, grassland, and ash woodland

Brecon Beacons 1957 /1, 334/ Brecon Beacons (sandstone peaks) in Wales; wooded valleys and heather moors

Northumberland 1956 /1, 031/ region of the Cheviot Hills in England; peat and heather moor; forest

Dartmoor 1951 / 945 / rolling granite tableland fringed by oak-wooded valleys in England; heather moors

Exmoor 1954 / 686/ plateau along the coast in England; heather moors and deciduous forest; deer and pony

Pembrokeshire Coast 1952 / 579/ rocky Welsh coastline with cliffs, sandy bays, and blowholes; some woodland; seabirds

The Broads 1989 / 288/ shallow lakes and connecting inland waterways in England, marshes; birdlife

Lake District - famous scenic region and national park in the county of Cumbria, England. The national park covers an area of 2, 243 sq km. It contains the principal English lakes, including Windermere 17 km long, and the highest English mountains (Scafell Pike, 978 m). The Lake District became a national park in 1951, and the increased social mobility of the population of the industrial regions of northern England has stimulated the tourist industry. Traditional forms of extensive agriculture (cattle and sheep rearing) have been intensified and include the production of milk and eggs. The increased demand for water by industrial northwest England has resulted in the use of Thirlmere Lake as a reservoir, precluding its use for recreation. The Lake District was the home of William Wordsworth, who was born at Cockermouth and is buried beside his sister and his wife in Grasmere churchyard. Since the early 19th century, the region has had many other well-known literary visitors and residents.

Snowdonia national park - national park in Clwyd and Gwynedd counties, northern Wales, designated in 1951, with an area of 2, 171 sq km. It is best known for its mountains, composed largely of volcanic rock and cut by valleys that show the influence of Ice Age glaciers. Snowdon (1, 085 m), in the northwestern part of the park, is the highest peak in England and Wales; a rack-and-pinion railway (opened 1896) runs from Llanberis to the summit. Tourism thrives, stimulated by the possibilities for climbing, hill walking, fishing, and sight-seeing.

The Peak District National Park - hill area in the county of Derbyshire, England, forming the southern end of the Pennines, the upland "spine" of England. The northern half is dominated by high gritstone moorlands, rising to Kinder Scout 636 m. The limestone central plateau is cut through by scenic dales, notably those of the Rivers Wye and Dove. The Peak District National Park was formed in 1950-51, and its area of 1, 404 sq km includes parts of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and South Yorkshire.

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Brecon Beacons National Park - southern Wales, national park designated in 1957. The park occupies 1, 344 sq km of mountains, moors, forests, pastureland, lakes, and the broad Usk valley. The easternmost highlands in the park are the Black Mountains (old red sandstone) with their highest point at Waun Fach 811m. Centrally located within the park are the Brecon Beacons (old red sandstone), Pen-y-Fan 886 m - the highest peak in the park. To the west lies the Black Mountain (chiefly millstone grit). The park offers a considerable variety of scenery and recreational opportunities, including hill walking, caving, pony trekking, sailing, and angling.

Exmoor - high moorland in northwestern Somerset and northern Devon, England, that forms a national park 693 sq km in extent. It borders the Bristol Channel on the north and has a beautiful coastline of rugged headlands interspersed with narrow, wooded valleys, or coombs. Inland, beyond the fringe of farms, lies a misty plateau of heather moors, rising more than 300 m above sea level, with Dunkery Beacon 519 m as the highest feature. The moors remain grazing grounds for hardy Exmoor ponies and Exmoor horned sheep, and wild red deer are still hunted there. The River Exe rises there and flows south to the English Channel. Tourism is important to the local economy, and Lynton, Lynmouth, and Porlock are the main centres.

Dartmoor - wild upland area in the west of the county of Devon, southwestern England It extends for ~ 37 km north-south and 32 km east-west. The moorland is bleak and desolate, and heather is the chief vegetation. Isolated weathered rocks (tors) rise from the granite plateau; the highest are Yes Tor 619 m and High Willhays. Dartmoor was a royal forest in Saxon times; since 1337 the central area has belonged to the royal duchy of Cornwall. In 1951 Dartmoor and its wooded fringes were designated a national park, covering 945 sq km 8 rivers, including the Dart, the Teign, and the Avon, rise on the wet uplands, and much of their water is impounded to supply the towns of Devon. Grazing in the area supports wild ponies, sheep, and cattle; quarrying (granite and china clay) and tourism are other important activities. There are few settlements; the largest is Princetown, founded in 1806 to serve adjoining Dartmoor Prison, which was built to hold French captives from the Napoleonic Wars. Since 1850 it has been England's chief confinement centre for serious offenders. Dartmoor's wild picturesqueness has made it a popular setting for English mystery fiction, notably Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The Broads - system of inland waterways in the county of Norfolk, England, consisting of shallow lakes formed by the broadening of the Rivers Bure and Yare, which connect many of the waterways. The individual Broads vary in size from mere pools to the 296-acre (120-hectare) expanse of Hickling. Of some 40 such waterways, only 16, with a total area of less than 1, 000 acres (405 hectares), are available for public navigation, the rest-which are either inaccessible or too shallow-remain sanctuaries for wildlife. The main use of The Broads is for recreation (sailing, fishing, bird-watching), with many summer vacationers. When was the first national park set up in England and Wales? In 1949. What is the largest national park in England? The Lake District is the largest national park.

Where is the largest national park of Britain situated? The area around Mount Snowdon in the north-west of Wales.

Who owns national parks? They are not owned by the nations. Most of the land is still in private hands.