There are four theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The resort is located near Orlando, Florida, in the communities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista.
Magic Kingdom opened with the resort in 1971 and remains famous for Cinderella Castle. EPCOT followed in 1982, originally as EPCOT Center, with a focus on technological innovation and international cultures. Disney-MGM Studios, now Disney’s Hollywood Studios, opened in 1989, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom became the fourth theme park in 1998.
The most common confusion is counting every major recreational facility as a theme park. Walt Disney World also has two water parks—Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Blizzard Beach—as well as Disney Springs, golf courses, hotels, and sports facilities. Those are part of the resort but are not included in the four-theme-park total.
The number can change only if Disney opens or redesignates a major park, so “four” is the standard current answer for the resort’s principal theme parks.