Huascarán National Park

Huascarán National Park
Mount Huascarán, landmark and namesake of Huascarán National Park
LocationPeru
Ancash
Nearest cityHuaraz, Ancash
Coordinates9°20′0″S 77°24′0″W / 9.33333°S 77.40000°W / -9.33333; -77.40000
Area340,000 ha (840,000 acres)
Established1 July 1975
Governing bodySERNANP
WebsiteParque Nacional Huascarán
CriteriaNatural: (vii), (viii)
Reference333
Inscription1985 (9th Session)
Area340,000 ha (840,000 acres)

Huascarán National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Huascarán) is a Peruvian national park that comprises most of the mountain range known as Cordillera Blanca (the world's highest tropical mountain range) which is part of the central Andes, in the region of Ancash. The park covers an area of 340,000 hectares (840,000 acres) and is managed by the Peruvian Network of Protected Natural Areas, or SERNANP (Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas). It was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1985 by UNESCO, is also a well-known mountaineering spot, and harbors a unique biodiversity with plant species such as the Queen of the Andes, trees of the genera Polylepis and Buddleja, and animals such as spectacled bears, condors, vicunas, and tarucas.

The park is approximately 150 kilometers (93 mi) long from north to south and averages about 25 kilometers (16 mi) in width. The western slope of the Cordillera Blanca drains to the Pacific Ocean via the Santa River and the eastern slopes drain to the Marañón River and ultimately to the Amazon River and the Atlantic Ocean.