Congaree National Park, 21,888 acres (8,862 hectares), central S.C., est. as Congaree Swamp National Monument 1976, designated a national park and renamed 2003. Located along the north bank of the meandering Congaree River, the park contains the largest tract of old-growth floodplain forest in North America, a remnant of the southern bottomland forests once found in the SE United States. The diverse, episodically flooded wilderness contains more than 75 species of trees and a variety of animal life, including bobcats, white-tailed deer, wild pigs, flying squirrels, barred owls, eight woodpecker species, and many snake and turtle species. See also National Parks and Monuments (table)national parks and monuments (table).
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