1. South Carolina
   North Carolina
2. Georgia

Congaree National Park is located about 20 miles southeast of Columbia Airport in central South Carolina.

1. 1903
   1953
2. 2003

Congaree National Park was established as a national park in 2003. It is a bottomland forest located on the Congaree River and is home to some of the tallest trees in the eastern United States.

1. by car
   by foot
2. by canoe

The best way to explore Congaree National Park is by canoe or kayak. Be sure to bring your own equipment, since the park does not rent or provide them.

1. Henry Hampton Visitor Center
   Harry Hampton Visitor Center
2. Harvey Hampton Visitor Center

The name of the visitor's center at Congaree National Park is the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, and it is open daily, except for Christmas Day, December 25.

1. 5
2. 10

Admission is free at Congaree National Park in South Carolina.

1. a camping permit
   a tent
2. a portable stove

In order to camp out at either the After Hours Campsite or the Bluff Campsite at Congaree National Park, visitors must first obtain a free camping permit at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center.

1. territory
   park
2. reserve

Because of the hundreds of species of plants and animals found in the Congaree National Park and supported by its ecosystem, the park is designated an International Biosphere Reserve.

1. the blue-headed woodpecker
   the yellow-headed woodpecker
2. the red-headed woodpecker

The red-headed woodpecker is one of the many unusual species that inhabit the forests of Congaree National Park. You may also see the white-tailed deer, skinks and brown water snakes

1. 50
   75
2. 100

The 75 species of trees that grow in the bottomland forests of Congaree National Park support a diverse range of animals, including bobcats and box turtles.

1. laurel oak
   American holly
2. both of the above

Among the many different species of trees found in the forests of Congaree National Park, you will find cypress, pine, laurel oak, American holly, tupelo and paw paw.

1. four
   eight
2. twelve

There are four national champion trees at Congaree National Park. One of them is a loblolly pine that stands 167 feet (50.9 meters) tall.

1. Hurricane Andrew
   Hurricane Katrina
2. Hurricane Hugo

Some of the tallest trees in Congaree National Park were felled by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Many trees in the park are over 140 feet tall and have 3-to-4-foot trunk diameters.

1. 19
   90
2. 900

There are 19 snake varieties in Congaree National Park, including poisonous ones like the cottonmouth, the copperhead, the canebrake rattlesnake and the coral snake.

1. They aerate the roots of the cypress trees.
   They store water for the roots of the cypress trees.
2. We really don't know.

Although we really don't know what purpose the cypress knees serve, some people speculate that they help aerate the roots of the cypress trees.

1. two hours
   four hours
2. six hours

It takes about four hours to navigate the Oakridge Trail, which crosses a stretch of old-growth forest containing many large oak trees.

1. King Snake
   Queen Snake
2. Prince Snake

The King Snake Trail, popular with wildlife enthusiasts, passes through a remote section of Congaree National Park. You may spot deer and raccoon, as well as the occasional Swainson's warbler.

1. river otters
   bobcats
2. both of the above

The many mammals that can be found in Congaree National Park include river otters, bobcats, mule deer, opossums, flying squirrel and wild boar.

1. Hernando de Soto
   Francisco Pizarro
2. Hernando Cortez

Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto passed through the area of Congaree National Park in 1540, and wrote about its wildlife in his journals.

1. the black plague
   diphtheria
2. smallpox

Smallpox killed most of the native Congaree Indians when settlers arrived from Europe in the 17th century. Their lands were taken over by the Europeans, who tried to establish farms.

1. 13,000 ( 53 square kilometers)
   15,000 ( 61 square kilometers)
2. 17,000 (69 square kilometers)

Though there were once 1,110,000 acres (4492 square kilometers) of floodplain in the American South, today Congaree National Park encompasses 11,000 (45 square kilometers) of the surviving 13,000 (53 square kilometers) acres of southern bottomland forest.