NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK

national park, in south-central Kenya, 5 miles (8 km) south of Nairobi. The park, established in 1946, has an area of 45 square miles (117 square km) and lies about 5,0006,000 feet (1,5001,800 m) above sea level. It consists partly of thick woods near the city outskirts, partly of rolling plains and valleys, and partly of a wooded confluence of several rivers. Its vegetation is of the dry transitional savanna type. Acacias and other thorny varieties, muhuhu, Cape chestnut, and Kenya olive are the most important trees. Scores of mammals, such as the lion, gazelle, black rhinoceros, giraffe, various species of antelope, and zebra, inhabit the park, as well as numerous reptiles and hundreds of species of birds. Only by establishing migration routes into nearby Ngong Reserve has it been possible to maintain wildlife in the area at its present levels. A small zoo (basically an animal orphanage) is near the main gate. The park's headquarters are at Nairobi.