Abstract
In 1872 the first national park in the world, the Yellowstone National Park, was established by an Act of Congress, and it is still the most noted of all American national parks. It lies mainly in the State of Wyoming and is sixty-two miles long and fifty-four miles wide. The scenery in this park is of exceptional grandeur and beauty, and the park contains many natural features of outstanding interest—forests, alpine flora, a very varied terrestrial and aquatic fauna, more than a hundred geysers and four thousand hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It can be no cause for wonder, therefore, that such a unique area should have been taken over for the enjoyment of all almost as soon as it was first surveyed. Since then, as stated by Dr. Herbert Smith in his article on “Nature Protection in Great Britain” (p. 457 of this issue), the idea of national parks has spread throughout the world and in many places been put into effect. Some, such as that in the Belgian Congo, are very extensive; others are comparatively small.
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National Parks. Nature 160, 447–448 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/160447a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/160447a0