Disney Animal Kingdom

Orlando, Florida, United States-based Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort near the city of Orlando. It was the fourth park to be developed in the area, and it first opened its doors on April 22nd, 1998. There are more than 500 acres of land dedicated to it, making it the largest Disney theme park in the world (202 ha).

It is also the first Disney theme park to be focused around animal conservation, a principle that was initially pioneered by Walt Disney himself. It is also the most visited Disney theme park in the world. Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which means that they have met or exceeded the standards set forth in the areas of education, conservation, and research within the park.

Disney advertised the park using the fake name “nahtazu” shortly after it opened, and this continued for several years. Rather than “zoo,” it is said “not a zoo.” It was intended to convey the message that the park is more than merely a municipal zoo. In January 2006, Disney said that it would no longer use the term.

The Tree of Life, a sculpted 14-story (145-foot [44 m]) by 50-foot-wide (15 m) tree, is the icon of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It is the centerpiece of the park. The tree has been erected by humans. The resin used to create the leaves is environmentally friendly. Tourists can take a stroll through the entire park to witness all 325 animals etched into the tree’s trunk’s bark.

With about 9.59 million visitors in 2009, the park was the fifth most visited amusement park in the United States and the eighth most visited in the world, according to the National Park Service.

The park is divided into eight themed regions: the Oasis, Discovery Island, Camp Minnie-Mickey, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia, DinoLand U.S.A., and Pandora. The Oasis is the largest of the eight themed zones.

The Oasis serves as the main entry to the park. Located towards the heart of the park, in the middle of the Discovery River waterway, Discovery Island is a popular destination. Camp Minnie-Mickey is designed to look and feel like a summer camp. Africa, which is set in the imaginary east African settlement of Harambe, contains a large number of animal exhibits.

Rafiki’s Planet Watch, the only portion of the park that is not connected to Discovery Island, is instead connected to the continent of Africa. When Disney’s Animal Kingdom initially opened, it was the first area to be expanded, and it was Asia. The Asia region first opened its doors in 1999. DinoLand U.S.A. was created in response to the general public’s fascination with dinosaurs. Pandora was inspired by the film Avatar, which is set in Japan.