India has a total of 567 wildlife sanctuaries covering an area of 122564.86 sq km, which is 3.73% of the country's geographical area.
In today's article, we will tell you about the major wildlife sanctuaries of India, which are very important from the exam point of view.
Questions related to wildlife sanctuaries of India are often asked in examinations, such as how many wildlife sanctuaries are there in India, which state has the most wildlife sanctuaries, the largest wildlife sanctuary in India, the smallest wildlife sanctuary in India, the first wildlife sanctuary in India, largest tiger reserve of India.
In today’s article, we are going to answer all these questions. Before knowing the list of wildlife sanctuaries, you must know what is a wildlife sanctuary.
What is a Wildlife Sanctuary?
“Wildlife sanctuaries are forests where animals live freely without any fear. A forest, animal monastery, or bird monastery protected by the government or any other organization is called a sanctuary.”
A Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or other interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide opportunities for study or research.
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The government enacted the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 with the aim of effectively protecting the wildlife of this country and controlling poaching, smuggling, and illegal trade in wildlife. The Act was amended in January 2003 and the punishment for offenses under the Act has been made more stringent.
India has a total of 567 wildlife sanctuaries covering an area of 122564.86 sq km, which is 3.73% of the country's geographical area (National Wildlife Database, January 2023).
In the below table, you can see the number of wildlife sanctuaries in every state.
Sr.no |
State/UT |
The total area of a wildlife sanctuary in (km) of the state |
Total No. of Wildlife Sanctuaries |
1. |
Andra Pradesh |
6771.40 |
13 |
2. |
Arunachal Pradesh |
7614.56 |
13 |
3. |
Assam |
1728.95 |
17 |
4. |
Bihar |
2851.67 |
12 |
5. |
Chhattisgarh |
3760.28 |
11 |
6. |
Goa |
647.91 |
6 |
7. |
Gujarat |
16618.42 |
23 |
8. |
Haryana |
118.21 |
7 |
9. |
Himachal Pradesh |
6115.97 |
28 |
10. |
Jharkhand |
1955.82 |
11 |
11. |
Karnataka |
7923.23 |
35 |
12. |
Kerala |
2156.21 |
18 |
13. |
Madhya Pradesh |
7046.19 |
24 |
14. |
Maharashtra |
7861.70 |
49 |
15. |
Manipur |
708.14 |
7 |
16. |
Meghalaya |
94.11 |
4 |
17. |
Mizoram |
1359.75 |
9 |
18. |
Nagaland |
43.91 |
4 |
19. |
Odisha |
7094.65 |
19 |
20. |
Punjab |
326.60 |
13 |
21. |
Rajasthan |
5592.38 |
25 |
22. |
Sikkim |
399.10 |
7 |
23. |
Tamil Nadu |
6240.56 |
30 |
24. |
Tripura |
603.64 |
4 |
25. |
Uttar Pradesh |
5822.20 |
26 |
26. |
Uttarakhand |
2690.12 |
7 |
27. |
West Bengal |
1440.18 |
16 |
28. |
Telangana |
5672.70 |
9 |
39. |
Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
377.83 |
94 |
30. |
Chandigarh |
26.01 |
2 |
31. |
Dadra and Nagar mansion |
92.17 |
1 |
32. |
Lakshadweep |
0.01 |
1 |
33. |
Daman and Diu |
2.19 |
1 |
34. |
Delhi |
19.61 |
1 |
35. |
Pondicherry |
3.90 |
1 |
36 |
1729.03 |
14 |
|
37 |
Ladakh |
9000.00 |
2 |
38. |
Total |
122509.33 |
564 |
There are a total of 567 wildlife sanctuaries in India, out of which we will tell you about those sanctuaries which are useful for you from the exam point of view.
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Q.1 How many wildlife sanctuaries are there in India?
Ans. Total 567
Q.2 Which state has the largest wildlife sanctuary in India?
Ans. Maharashtra (49)
Q.3 Which is the largest wildlife sanctuary in India?
Ans. Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary (7506.22 sq km)
Q.4 Which is the 1st wildlife sanctuary in India?
Ans. Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary (1940)
Q.5 Which is the smallest sanctuary in India?
Ans. Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (5.14 km 2 ) (1997)
Q.6 In which state is the Palamu Sanctuary located?
Ans. Jharkhand
Q.7 Where is the largest tiger reserve forest in India?
Ans. Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve