25 Serengeti Facts: Specialty, Animals, Geography And More

Serengeti National Park is ancient and is known to be one of the oldest parks in the world.

Before it became open to the public, the park's area belonged to the Maasai people. You can meet them as they live right outside the park and have managed to hold on to their culture.

The park is divided into three parts. The western corridor has black clay in the region covering the swampy savannah. You will find Nile crocodiles, the martial eagle, and the colobus monkey here. The Serengeti plains are the area where the wildebeest breed.

In this region, you will find zebra, gazelle, topi, buffalo, impala, hartebeest, and waterbuck, along with predators, pythons, and hyrax. The northern Serengeti is full of hills and open woodlands. You will find giraffes, elephants, and dik-diks here.

History Of Serengeti Regional Park

Serengeti is one of the world's oldest UNESCO heritage sites and national parks.

• The national park was established in the '20s. However, it got its national park status in 1951.
• The Serengeti is known to be the ancestral land of the Maa Community. The Maasai are said to be one of the African communities that still follow their old cultural rituals like circumcision, sacrifices, and dances.
• The first European explorer, Oscar Baumann from Austria, came to this location in 1892.
• Before that, the Maasai people grazed their livestock in the eastern Mara region. The indigenous people called this land 'endless plains', and they used it for grazing for over 200 years.
• The Maasai were shifted to the Ngorongoro highlands when the national park was created to preserve the land and the wildlife. This relocation remains controversial.
• Not much has changed in the park. The waterways, plants, and wild animals are primarily intact even today as it was a million years ago.
• Dr. Leakey, the famous archaeologist from East Africa, found the oldest remains of man in this national park. The remains were two million years old.
• The only active volcano in the area is located in the Expanse of Serengeti. It is called the Ol Doinyo Lengai. It is essential as the ejected mineral-rich carbonate lava helps to fertilize the Serengeti plains.
• The Serengeti is famous for its wildebeest migration. It has earned its name on the world map through this. This migration is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Around six million animals cross the open plains, with over 300,000 zebras, 2 million wildebeests, and 900,000 Thomson's gazelles. This event is a sight to behold.

Wildlife And Ecosystem

The Serengeti National Park ecosystem is known to be the most ancient on mother Earth. It has a diversity of flora and fauna that is not found anywhere else on the globe.

• The national park has more than 500 bird species living in its vast lands of endless plains. These bird species include secretary bird, ostrich, crowned crane, kori bustard, martial eagles, marabou stork, lovebirds, and many others.
• All three primary big cats are found in the Serengeti plains.
• You can see lions everywhere in the open plains. On the southeastern plains, cheetahs are pretty standard, while leopards are found atop the big trees along the Seronera River.
• There are a lot of migrating animals that cannot go back to the Maasai Mara National Park. Carnivores like African crocodiles wait for their prey as they cross the Mara River.
• The regular residents of these open plains include groups of giraffes and elephants, buffalo herds, big groups of eland, kongoni, topi, Grant's gazelle, and impala.
• Serengeti National Park is mostly savannah grassland with some areas of Shrub land. These latter regions are the best for herbivores to graze but also excellent for carnivores to hunt for their prey.
• Elephants, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, gazelles, antelopes, and buffaloes are some herbivores found in this region.
• Some carnivores in the area are cheetahs, lions, hyenas, leopards, and jackals.
• Visitors are often delighted on safaris by the sights of black rhinoceros, African buffalo, cheetahs, gazelles, giraffes, African leopards, African elephants, African wild dogs, baboons, zebras, impalas, ostriches, storks, crocodiles, spotted hyenas, wildebeest, cranes, and a lot of vulture species.

Geographical Facts About Serengeti

• The national park in Tanzania is found in the Serengeti ecosystem in the Simiyu and Mara regions.
• Serengeti National Park extends 100 mi (160 km) southeast from areas adjacent to the shores of Lake Victoria. It is 100 mi (160 km) from the lake's eastern portion, and the park extends 100 mi (160 km) south of the Tanzania-Kenya border.
• Serengeti National Park covers an area of 5,700 sq mi (14,750 sq km) of savanna, riverine forest, grassland plains, and woodlands.
• The park's elevation ranges from 3020-5070 ft (920-1850 m) above sea level.
• The park is divided into three areas - the Serengeti plains, Northern Serengeti, and the Western corridor.
• The park usually has a dry climate. However, a lot of rain is seen during June and July each year.
• The Serengeti National Park remains one of the cheapest National Parks in Tanzania. The entry fees are nominal compared with other famous parks in the area or worldwide.
• Today, around 90,000 people visit the park every year. This number does not include the locals who visit the park in large numbers each season.
• You can also visit the Maasai villages right outside the park. Enjoy their culture, dance, clothes, and their day-to-day lives in real-time.
• Tanzania is one of the most culture-rich countries in Eastern Africa. It is known for its Swahili culture. When visiting the country, try the Jungle Safari and the local food and culture.

FAQ

What is the Serengeti?

It is a national park in Tanzania.

Why is the Serengeti important?

It has the highest ostrich population in the country, and maybe Africa. It also is one of the oldest ecosystems in the world.

What animals live in the Serengeti?

You will find animals like wildebeests, lions, cheetahs, leopards, different species of birds, elephants, gazelles, and many others.

Where in the world is Serengeti located?

It is located in Tanzania.

What do you notice about the border of the Serengeti?

The national park shares its borders with Kenya.

Where is the Serengeti plain located in Africa?

It is located in Tanzania.

How did the elimination of rinderpest in the Serengeti affect the buffalo population?

Rinderpest was lowering the populations of cattle. But the vaccinations eliminated this problem, and the sickness disappeared from Serengeti. The population of wildebeest and buffalo skyrocketed after that.