Which Canadian national park is the largest by area, covering over 44,000 km²?

Wood Buffalo National Park is Canada’s largest national park, covering roughly 44,741 square kilometres. It stretches across northeastern Alberta and the southern Northwest Territories, making it larger than Switzerland.

Canada created the park in 1922 to protect the threatened wood bison and their habitat. It remains famous for supporting one of the world’s largest free-roaming bison populations, although disease and the historical introduction of plains bison caused serious conservation problems. The park also protects wetlands, boreal forest, grasslands, rivers, and the Peace–Athabasca Delta.

Wood Buffalo became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 because of its ecological importance and outstanding examples of northern ecosystems. It is also recognised for spectacular natural features, including huge migratory bird gatherings and extensive dark skies. In 2013, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada designated it the country’s first national dark-sky preserve.

A common mix-up is choosing Kluane, Jasper, or Banff. Those parks are exceptionally large or famous, but Wood Buffalo is the largest in Canada and is also commonly described as the world’s second-largest national park, behind Northeast Greenland National Park.