Which African country contains the Okapi Wildlife Reserve?

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The reserve was established in 1992 in the northeastern Congo Basin and covers about 13,700 square kilometres. It protects forests around the Ituri River and is named for the okapi, a shy mammal found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Okapis have zebra-like markings on their legs but are more closely related to giraffes than to zebras. The reserve also supports forest elephants, chimpanzees, leopards, and many other species. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1996 because of its biodiversity and importance to Indigenous Mbuti communities.

The reserve should not be confused with Virunga National Park, another major protected area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Okapi Wildlife Reserve is especially associated with the country’s Ituri rainforest and the conservation of its unusual namesake mammal.