Munzur Valley National Park 2.48

The Munzur Valley National Park, established on December 21, 1971, is the largest and the most biodiverse national park in Turkey. It is located at the Munzur Valley of Munzur Mountain Range within Tunceli Province in eastern Anatolia.The Munzur Valley National Park, part of the Eastern Anatolian mountainous ecoregion, is one of the richest floristic areas of Anatolia. The national park was established to protect the region’s wildlife and scenic beauty.The protected area is administered by the Directorate-General of Nature Protection and National Parks of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, although even outside of the administered area the landscape is very well preserved. A large part of this may be due to the Alevi inhabitants of the region, who respect nature as part of their religious beliefs.GeographyThe national park is situated between 8km northwest from the city center of Tunceli and Ovacık town, which is 65km far from the provincial capital. It extends along the Munzur Valley to the Munzur Mountains, which rise up to 3300m high Amsl in the north. The park spans an area of 420km2.GeologyThe geological structure of the Munzur Mountains, which rise up between the Karasu and Murat dells, consists of sedimentary, volcanic, and intrusive rocks that have been metamorphosed. The mountain range is particularly divided by the streams Mercan and Munzur.