About the Ranthambore National Park:
- Location:
- It is located in the Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan.
- It lies at the junction of the Aravali and Vindhya hill ranges.
- It was the former hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur.
- It derives its name from the Ranthambore Fort situated within its precincts.
- It was on 1st November, 1980, that Ranthambore was declared a national park, while the forests located beside it were named Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and Keladevi Sanctuary.
- Landscape: It is characterised by rugged terrain with dense forests, lakes, and ancient ruins.
- Vegetation: The vegetation of the Ranthambhore is tropical dry deciduous and tropical thorn type due to its hilly track; water is confined to narrow valleys and some lakes.
- Rivers: The Chambal River in the south and the Banas River in the north bound the park.
- There are several lakes in the park known as Padam Talab, Raj Bagh Talab, and Malik Talab.
- Flora:
- The most dominant plant is the 'Dhok'. This tropical tree constitutes more than three-fourths of the vegetation of this national forest.
- Apart from the Dhok tree, the other prime trees in this park are Banyan, Pipal, and Neem.
- Fauna:
- Its flagship species is Bengal tiger.
- Apart from tigers, the major wild animals include the leopard, nilgai, wild boar, sambar, hyena, sloth bear, and chital.
