diff --git a/_posts/2019-08-21-how-much-of-the-us-is-parks.md b/_posts/2019-08-21-how-much-of-the-us-is-parks.md index b13f1bf11b1b2..6dab0c9eefc84 100644 --- a/_posts/2019-08-21-how-much-of-the-us-is-parks.md +++ b/_posts/2019-08-21-how-much-of-the-us-is-parks.md @@ -14,11 +14,15 @@ According to [census.gov](https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/201 >I was fascinated to learn that almost 85% of Nevada is owned by the federal government. In which states is the majority of the total national park land located? +

![Pie image]({{ site.baseurl }}/assets/09_size_total_park_area_by_state_national_parks.png) -It's no surprise that 62.3% of total national park land is located in Alaska. Of the top 10 largest parks, 7 are in Alaska. California has the fifth largest, Death Valley National Park, and 8 others. Each of the reamaining top 6 states in this chart have at least one very large park and a number of smaller ones. The remaining states are grouped into the 'Other' category. + +It is no surprise that 62.3% of total national park land is located in Alaska. Of the top 10 largest parks, 7 are in Alaska. California has the fifth largest, Death Valley National Park, and 8 others. Each of the reamaining top 6 states in this chart have at least one very large park and a number of smaller ones. The remaining states are grouped into the 'Other' category. +

N.B. This plot is technically incorrect. Three of the national parks are in two or more states: Yellowstone is in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana; Great Smoky Mountains is in North Carolina and Tennessee; and Death Valley is in California and Nevada. The state where the majority of the park's area is located was chosen for each park for reporting purposes. ![Chart image]({{ site.baseurl }}/assets/09_size_park_area_pct_of_state_national_parks.png) + This plot tells us which parks have the most area dedicated to national parks. Alaska wins again with 7.5% of its total area designated as national park land. Interestingly, Hawaii is in third place for this metric because it is such a small state, with over 5% of Hawaii dedicated to national parks. ### Data Sources