Kakadu National Park is in the northern part (or Top End) of Australia’s Northern Territory . It lies about 140 miles (225 kilometers) east of Darwin and covers 7,646 square miles (19,804 square kilometers) in the Alligator Rivers region. The park contains a wide variety of environments and geographical features, including cliffs, plateaus, lowlands, wetlands, mangrove swamps, waterfalls, and pockets of rain forest.
Kakadu’s plant life includes three species (kinds) of pandanus trees as well as kapok , paperbark , speargrass, and a kind of eucalyptus known as Darwin woollybutt. More than 250 species of birds, including jacanas and brolgas , and over 100 species of reptiles, including crocodiles , live in Kakadu National Park. The southern part of the park has giant mounds built by termites .
Findings from an archaeological site near the park suggest that Aboriginal people may have lived in this region about 65,000 years ago. The Bininj Mungguy, an Australian Aboriginal people, are the traditional owners of the land that now makes up Kakadu National Park. The park is recognized internationally for its thousands of Aboriginal rock art paintings (see Aboriginal peoples of Australia (Painting) ).
Kakadu was declared a national park in three stages between 1979 and 1991. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed the entire park as a World Heritage site in 1992. The World Heritage List recognizes places of unique cultural and natural importance. Aboriginal land trusts and Parks Australia jointly manage the park. Many thousands of people visit the park annually.
