|
|
Great Smoky
Mountains National Park
North Carolina and Tennessee
 |
|
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. NPS Photo
|
 |
|
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. NPS Photo
|
The Cherokee described this place as Shaconage, meaning
"blue, like smoke," One of the largest protected land areas in the eastern United States, Great Smoky Mountains
National Park contains an enormous variety of plants and animals. Biodiversity is indeed a watchword here, as
scientists from around the world are currently engaged in a monumental effort to find and describe all of the
estimated 100,000 forms of life that occur in these ancient mountains. Since the project began in 1998, thousands
of new park records have been discovered and hundreds of species new to science have been identified.
While World Heritage status was conferred to the Smokies
primarily for the park's natural features, a significant record of human history is preserved here as well.
From Native American sites to one of the largest and finest collections of Southern Appalachian vernacular
architecture to be found anywhere, the park is the keeper of stories that might otherwise be lost. Located
within a two-day drive for over half the nation's population, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the
most visited national park in the country, with over eight million visits annually. Inscribed in 1983 as
a Natural site, under Criteria N (1), (ii), (iii) and (iv).
 |
|
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. NPS Photo
|
Links
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
World Heritage Convention
