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WATCH: So why exactly is Stanley Park ranked the top park in the entire world? Linda Aylesworth has the story.

VANCOUVER – They don’t call it the ‘jewel’ of Vancouver for nothing.

The rain forest oasis in the middle of B.C.’s busiest city was today named the ‘top park in the entire world.’

It is one of the largest urban parks in North America, visited every year by about eight million people.

It beat out New York’s Central Park and the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris to take the top spot.

The award is based on millions of reviews submitted to the website TripAdvisor.

Here is the top 10 list:

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Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

Central Park, New York City, USA

Millennium Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA

High Line, New York City, USA

Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth, Australia

Guell Park, Barcelona, Spain

Ibirapuera Park, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain

Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France

“I think what makes Stanley Park special, for both Vancouverites and visitors, is that you come into the city, and Vancouver has a growing reputation for a great place to visit, just as the city for planning and urban design,” said John Atkins, civic historian.

“But then as you walk down to the end of the city, you’re confronted with this thousand-acre park. But as you walk in you’ve got bike paths, the walkways, you’ve got the grass and the flower beds and the rose gardens. And you look just beyond that and suddenly the temperature changes, the forest floor changes, you’ve got tree stumps, you’ve got woods and fir trees and all sorts of stuff. And you’re into a forest,” added Atkins.

“A chunk of leftover Vancouver.”

He said visitors have to see the totem poles in the park and wander through the forest.

Stanley Park became Vancouver’s first park when the city incorporated it in 1886. It is named after Lord Stanley, who had recently been appointed governor general.