Headline

Top 10 Countries With The Most National Parks

Published

4 months ago

January 31, 2026

National parks are among the world’s most important natural treasures. Beyond tourism, they protect ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, and offer people a chance to connect with nature.

Contents
Australia
Thailand
India
Brazil
Mexico
Russia
United States
Colombia
Indonesia
Turkey

In this article, Tribune Online highlights countries with the most extensive national park networks in the world.

Australia

Australia tops global rankings with about 685 national parks, making it the country with the largest national park network worldwide. The reason the numbers are so high is that national parks are managed by individual states and territories rather than one central national authority.

This system has allowed Australia to create a wide spread of protected areas covering deserts, rainforests, coastlines, and mountain regions. These parks also safeguard iconic wildlife such as kangaroos, koalas, and other species found only in Australia.

Thailand

Thailand has 156 national parks, placing it among the strongest conservation leaders in Asia. The country’s parks protect dense tropical forests, limestone landscapes, waterfalls, and coastal ecosystems. Thailand’s protected areas also play a major role in preserving endangered wildlife while supporting ecotourism, which has become a key part of the country’s nature-based travel industry.

India

India has 116 national parks spread across diverse regions, from the Himalayas and tropical forests to wetlands and dry regions. This wide coverage makes India’s national park system one of the most biodiverse in the world. Many of these parks are well known internationally because they protect rare and endangered animals, including tigers, elephants, rhinoceroses, and snow leopards.

Brazil

Brazil protects 75 national parks, many of which preserve some of the richest ecosystems on Earth. These parks include areas within the Amazon rainforest and other critical habitats that support wildlife and help regulate the global climate.

Brazil’s national parks are also known for dramatic natural attractions such as forests, waterfalls, and vast wetlands, making them important for both conservation and tourism.

Mexico

Mexico has 67 national parks that protect a wide variety of environments, including forests, mountains, deserts, and coastal zones. These parks play an important role in conserving nature while also supporting recreation and tourism. Mexico’s park network reflects the country’s unique geography, which ranges from dry northern areas to greener regions and marine ecosystems.

Russia

Russia has 64 national parks spread across its vast territory. Because the country covers a huge area, its parks protect different ecosystems, including forests, mountain regions and northern environments. Russia’s national parks are important for preserving large areas of wilderness, protecting wildlife habitats, and maintaining ecosystems that are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to climate change and human activity.

United States

The United States has 61 national parks, many of which are among the most famous in the world. Although the country has many protected areas, only a specific number carry the official national park status. These parks protect a wide range of natural environments, including mountains, canyons, forests, deserts, and volcanic regions, and they attract millions of visitors each year due to their global reputation and strong tourism infrastructure.

Colombia

Colombia has 60 national parks, reflecting the country’s position as one of the world’s most biodiverse places. These parks protect rainforests, mountain ranges, rivers and coastal areas. Colombia’s national parks are essential for wildlife conservation and environmental protection, especially as the country continues to balance development with the need to preserve its natural heritage.

Indonesia

Indonesia has 56 national parks spread across its many islands. These protected areas are important because Indonesia is home to unique tropical ecosystems and rare species. The parks help conserve forests, volcanic areas, and marine habitats, while also supporting ecotourism and strengthening environmental protection across regions that face threats such as deforestation and habitat loss.

Turkey

Turkey has 50 national parks that protect forests, wetlands, mountains and scenic landscapes. These parks support conservation efforts while also serving as popular destinations for hiking and nature tourism. Turkey’s national parks show how protected areas can preserve both natural ecosystems and culturally important landscapes at the same time.
(TRIBUNE)

Headline

Woman Passes Out After Receiving 100 Strokes Of Cane

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

A woman has passed out after she and her partner were each flogged 100 times in public for engaging in sex outside marriage under strict Sharia laws in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was later carried away after the punishment was carried out in Banda Aceh, located at the northern tip of Sumatra island on Thursday.

A masked official dressed in brown robes administered the caning before members of the public who gathered to witness the punishment.

Her partner was also seen wincing in pain while receiving the lashes.

The pair were among several individuals punished for violating Sharia regulations in the province.

Authorities from the Banda Aceh Sharia Court and the Prosecutor’s Office handed down punishments ranging from 25 to 100 lashes for offences including extramarital sex allegedly arranged through online applications.

Aceh remains the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia operating under Sharia law, where unmarried couples are prohibited from having sexual relations.

Caning is commonly used in the province as punishment for offences such as gambling, alcohol consumption, same-sex relations and sex outside marriage.

Under Aceh’s Sharia regulations, child rape offenders face some of the harshest penalties, including up to 200 strokes of the cane, a prison sentence of as long as 200 months or fines equivalent to two kilograms of gold.

The punishments are usually carried out publicly as a way of shaming offenders in addition to inflicting physical pain.

Such canings are often conducted outside mosques or in open public spaces, with residents watching and taking photographs during the exercise.

Human rights organisations have continued to condemn the practice, arguing that it causes emotional trauma and violates international human rights standards.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticised the punishments, saying they conflict with Indonesia’s constitution and global legal obligations.

Amnesty said in a statement: “Caning contravenes Indonesia’s constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.

‘It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.’”

Despite the criticism, local authorities have defended the punishments as part of Aceh’s religious and cultural identity, insisting they serve as a deterrent against immoral behaviour.

Earlier in January, another couple in the province reportedly received 140 lashes each after being found guilty of drinking alcohol and engaging in sex outside marriage.

(Daily Mail)

Headline

Senegal’s President Sacks Prime Minister After Months-long Feud

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government following months of rising political tension between the two former allies.

The decision was announced in a surprise decree read on national television by a presidential aide, stating that Faye had “ended the duties” of Sonko and “consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government”.

Sonko, who remains a highly influential figure among Senegal’s youth, responded on social media, saying he would “sleep with a light heart”.

The political fallout comes at a time of growing economic strain in the country, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) putting Senegal’s public debt at 132% of its GDP.

His removal followed a tense parliamentary session on Tuesday, where Sonko openly criticised President Faye’s handling of the debt situation.

The development is striking given that Faye’s rise to power was largely tied to Sonko’s popularity and political backing.

Sonko would almost certainly have contested the presidency himself in 2024, but was barred from the race due to a defamation conviction. Instead, he threw his support behind Faye, rallying voters with the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Diomaye”.

The alliance helped unseat former President Macky Sall in a dramatic electoral victory, despite both men having been released from prison only days before the vote.

Tensions between the two leaders had been building for months, with Faye reportedly accusing Sonko of excessive dominance within the ruling Pastef party, while Sonko accused the president of weak leadership and failing to defend him against critics.

(BBC News)

Headline

Six Nigerians Arrested In Thailand Over AI-Powered Romance Scam

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Six Nigerian nationals have been arrested by the Thailand Police Force for allegedly operating an AI-powered deepfake romance scam syndicate from a luxury condominium along the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi Province, following a cocaine trafficking investigation that exposed their activities.

Thai authorities said the operation began after police arrested a Nigerian suspect identified as Patrick and three associates in April over alleged drug trafficking offences. During the raid, officers reportedly seized assets valued at about 2.5 million baht.

Investigators said financial transactions linked to the suspects led them to several foreign nationals living in a high-end riverside condominium near Phra Nangklao Bridge in Nonthaburi. Police discovered that many of the occupants were staying in groups of five or six per apartment under student visas despite not being enrolled in any educational institution or engaged in lawful employment.

According to Thai police, officers executed search warrants on three condominium units on May 22. The suspects allegedly refused to open their doors, forcing authorities to break into the apartments.

Videos circulating on X captured the moment police officers forcefully gained entry into one of the apartments before arresting the suspects.

During the operation, one suspect reportedly attempted to escape by climbing over a balcony, while another was found hiding on the bathroom floor while allegedly sending warning messages to occupants in neighbouring units.

Police recovered 18 mobile phones, three laptop computers and three bank passbooks from the apartments. Authorities said some of the phones were still logged into active conversations with victims at the time of the raid.

Investigators alleged that the syndicate specialised in romance scams targeting older Thai women by using AI-generated faces and manipulated video calls to create fake online identities.

The suspects allegedly posed as pilots, United States military officers, doctors and engineers to gain the trust of victims before requesting money under false pretences.

Police said the fraudsters typically claimed that valuable packages or gifts sent to victims had been withheld by customs officials and required payment of clearance fees before release.

Authorities also said they recovered scripts for sexually explicit conversations allegedly used to emotionally manipulate victims into transferring funds. Investigators claimed the group relied heavily on artificial intelligence technology to generate realistic Western faces for fake video interactions.

Thai police said all six suspects are currently facing preliminary charges bordering on illegal association and immigration overstay, while additional fraud and romance scam charges are expected to follow as investigations continue.