Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

s of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the public for recreation. Their environment may be more or less strictly protected.

Argentina

Provincial parks ( es, Parques Provinciales) in the

Misiones Province Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes ...

of Argentina include the Urugua-í Provincial Park and Esmeralda Provincial Park. The Ischigualasto Provincial Park, also called Valle de la Luna ("Valley of the Moon" or "Moon Valley"), due to its otherworldly appearance, is a provincial protected area in the north-east of San Juan Province, north-western Argentina. The

Aconcagua Provincial Park Aconcagua Provincial Park is a Provincial Park located in the Mendoza Province in Argentina. The Andes mountain range draws all types of thrill seekers ranging in difficulty including hiking, climbing, skiing, etc. Besides it draws history lovers ...

is in

Mendoza Province Mendoza, officially Province of Mendoza, is a province of Argentina, in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders San Juan to the north, La Pampa and Neuquén to the south, San Luis to the east, and the republic o ...

. The highest point is the north summit of the Cerro Aconcagua at . The Parque Provincial Pereyra Iraola is the largest

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...

in the Buenos Aires Province. It is the richest center of biodiversity in the province.

Belgium

Chevetogne Provincial Park - Play area Provincial parks in Belgium ( nl, provinciale domeinen, french: domaines provinciaux) include Bois des Rêves, Chevetogne, Hélécine, Palogne and Wégimont. These are typically public areas administered by the

for outdoor recreation such as swimming, canoeing, hiking and camping, with few or no fully protected portions.

Canada

Provincial parks in Canada are protected areas of land and/or water designated by one of the provincial governments to protect nature or historical sites and to support recreation, tourism and education. The first provincial park, Queen Victoria Park in

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

, opened in 1888. The largest is the

Polar Bear Provincial Park Polar Bear Provincial Park is an isolated wilderness park in the far north of Ontario, Canada. It lies on the western shore where James Bay joins Hudson Bay. The terrain is part of the Hudson Bay Lowlands and features unspoiled low-lying tundra i ...

on Hudson Bay. Although provincial parks in Canada are not the same as national parks, their structures and purposes are very similar. The provincial and territorial parks systems generally have various park categories. Parks may be ecological reserves without facilities for use by the general public, day use parks or recreational parks that offer many services to visitors, often including bicycle,

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the ter ...

, or kayak rentals,

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

sites,

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trails and beaches. In the province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, the provincial parks are labelled "national parks" and are all IUCN category II protected areas (like at the federal level, and as opposed to many provincial parks), and are managed by

Société des établissements de plein air du Québec The ''Société des établissements de plein air du Québec'' (English: Quebec Outdoor Establishments Company), also known as ''Sépaq'', is the agency of the Government of Quebec that manages parks and wildlife reserves. Sépaq falls under the a ...

. Many parks in the other provinces have the IUCN designation.

South Africa

Nwanedi Provincial Park is a scenic nature and game reserve on the foothills of the Venda mountains in the northern part of the

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. Mokolo Dam Provincial Park almost surrounds the Mokolo Dam on the

Mokolo River The Mokolo River is a major watercourse in Limpopo Province of South Africa. This river collects much of the drainage of the Waterberg Massif and discharges it to the Limpopo River. The river's catchment area comprises . Course The Mokolo River a ...

. It is located 32 km south of Lephalale, just northeast of the Marakele National Park and not far from the Lapalala Game Reserve. Letaba Ranch Provincial Park in Limpopo Province is north of

Phalaborwa Phalaborwa (translated to English as ''better than the south; phala'' means ''better than and borwa'' means ''south'') is a town in the Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa. It is located near the confluence of the Ga-Se ...

, next to the Kruger Park and has an area of about 42,000 ha. The Letaba River runs through the park.Letaba Ranch Provincial Park
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References

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