A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.
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History
In the United Kingdom the term has a special meaning. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located There are about 250 recognised Country Parks (
) in England and Wales. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the Countryside Act 1968 with the support of the former Countryside Commission. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The Countryside Agency in England was a statutory body set up in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living In more recent times there has been no specific financial support for country parks directly, and fewer have been designated. Most are managed by local authorities, although other organisations and private individuals can also run them. There is nothing to stop anyone opening a site and calling it a Country Park, although they might not receive recognition from the Countryside Agency. The Countryside Agency in England was a statutory body set up in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living Indeed there are quite a few such parks in existence, some of which are very far from what one might normally expect a country park to be.
In Hong Kong a large part of the territory's countryside is officially designated as Country Parks. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Most of these are reservoir watersheds, serving the dual purpose of providing recreational facilities and contributing to Hong Kong's water supply.
Purpose
The purpose of a country park is to provide a place that has a natural, rural atmosphere for visitors who do not necessarily want to go out into the wider countryside. Visitors can enjoy a public open space with an informal atmosphere, as opposed to a formal park as might be found in an urban area. A park is a protected area of Land and Water, usually in its natural or semi-natural (landscaped state and set aside for some purpose often to do with human For this reason country parks are usually found close to or on the edge of built-up areas, and rarely in the wider countryside.
Amenities
A country park usually has some more formal facilities, such as a car park, toilets, maybe a cafe or kiosk, paths and trails, and some information for visitors. Some have much more, with museums, visitor centres, educational facilities, historic buildings, farms, boating, fishing, and other attractions.
Many larger country parks organise entertainment for visitors, and are venues for firework displays, shows and fairs and other large, outdoor events. A firework is classified as a low explosive pyrotechnic device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes
There is not necessarily any public right of access to Country Parks, and visitors are usually subject to by-laws when they enter the park. Some charge for car parking, some are free.
These parks vary tremendously from one to another, and really have only their purpose in common: to provide easy access to the countryside for those living in the towns and suburbs. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. They do not necessarily have any great nature conservation interest, although often this is the case.
See also
Although Hong Kong is regarded as one of the world's great cities out of the total 1092 km² of land about three-quarters is countrysideDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic