Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek | |
---|---|
Location | Canada and the United States |
Coordinates | 61°11′51″N 140°59′31″W / 61.1975°N 140.992°W |
Area | 98391.21 km2 (37989.06 sq mi) |
Governing body | Parks Canada, BC Parks, U.S. National Park Service |
Type | Natural |
Criteria | vii, viii, ix, x |
Designated | 1979 (3rd session) |
Reference no. | 72 |
Region | Europe and North America |
Extensions | 1992; 1994 |
Kluane / Wrangell–St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek is an international park system located in Canada and the United States, at the border of Yukon, Alaska and British Columbia.
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 for the spectacular glacier and icefield landscapes as well as for the importance of grizzly bears, caribou and Dall sheep habitat.[1] The total area of the site is 98391.21 square kilometres (37989.06 sq mi), which is just smaller than the country of South Korea at 100339 square kilometres (38741 sq mi).
It is home to a number of notable landforms, including the world's largest non-polar icefield;[1] the largest piedmont glacier in the world, Malaspina Glacier; the world's longest interior valley glacier, Nabesna Glacier; as well as Canada's highest peak and North America's second-highest peak, Mount Logan, at 5,959 m (19,551 ft).
Park system
The international system comprises parks located in two countries and three administrative regions:
- Kluane National Park and Reserve (Canada)
- Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve (U.S.)
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (U.S.)
- Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park (provincial park, British Columbia, Canada)
See also
- Waterton–Glacier International Peace Park, the other USA–Canada World Heritage Site.
- Peace Arch Park, another park jointly designated and managed by the US and Canada.
References
- 1 2 Unesco World Heritage Site (1994). "Kluane / Wrangell-St Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek". Retrieved 2007-05-11.