The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa, spanning the Mara and Arusha Regions of Tanzania. The protected area within the region includes approximately 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) of land, including the Serengeti National Park and several game reserves. The Serengeti hosts the second largest terrestrial mammal migration in the world, which helps secure it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.
Tanzania comprises many lakes, national parks, and Africa's highest point, Mount Kilimanjaro. Northeast Tanzania is mountainous, while the central area is part of a large plateau covered in grasslands. The country also contains the southern portion of Lake Victoria on its northern border with Uganda and Kenya.
The Serengeti National Park is a large national park in northern Tanzania that stretches over 14,763 km2 (5,700 sq mi). It is located in eastern Mara Region and northeastern Simiyu Region and contains over 1,500,000 hectares of virgin savanna. The park was established in 1940.
The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania is one of the most important paleoanthropological localities in the world; the many sites exposed by the gorge have proven invaluable in furthering understanding of early human evolution. A steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley that stretches across East Africa, it is about 48 km long, and is located in the eastern Serengeti Plains within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the Olbalbal ward located in Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region, about 45 kilometres from Laetoli, another important archaeological locality of early human occupation. The British/Kenyan paleoanthropologist-archeologist team of Mary and Louis Leakey established excavation and research programs at Olduvai Gorge that achieved great advances in human knowledge and are world-renowned. The site is registered as one of the National Historic Sites of Tanzania.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Ngorongoro District, 180 km (110 mi) west of Arusha City in Arusha Region, within the Crater Highlands geological area of northern Tanzania. The area is named after Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera within the area. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority administers the conservation area, an arm of the Tanzanian government, and its boundaries follow the boundary of the Ngorongoro District in Arusha Region. The western portion of the park abuts the Serengeti National Park, and the area comprising the two parks and Kenya's Maasai Mara game reserve is home to Great Migration, a massive annual migration of millions of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, and other animals. The conservation area also contains Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world.
Lake Eyasi is a lake located in Karatu District of Arusha Region in north Tanzania. Lake Eyasi is the largest body of water in Arusha region. It is a seasonal shallow endorheic salt lake on the floor of the Great Rift Valley at the base of the Serengeti Plateau, just south of the Serengeti National Park and immediately southwest of the Ngorongoro Crater in the Crater Highlands of Tanzania. The lake is elongated, orientated southwest to northeast, and lies in the Eyasi-Wembere branch of the Great Rift Valley.
Arusha Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions and is located in the north of the country. The region's capital and largest city is the city of Arusha. The region is bordered by Kajiado County and Narok County in Kenya to the north, the Kilimanjaro Region to the east, the Manyara and Singida Regions to the south, and the Mara and Simiyu regions to the west. Arusha Region is home to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region is comparable in size to the combined land and water areas of the state of Maryland in the United States.
Karatu District is one of seven districts of the Arusha Region of Tanzania. The district is bordered to the north by the Ngorongoro District and to the west by the Meatu District in the Simiyu Region. The district is bordered to the east by the Monduli District, and to the south and southeast by the Mbulu District and the Babati District. The district covers an area of 3,207 km2 (1,238 sq mi). The district is comparable in size to the land area of Samoa. The district has an max elevation of 1,739 m (5,705 ft) on Oldeani Peak. Karatu district is home to the hunter-gatherer community of the Hadza people. Also Karatu is known agriculturally as the onion capital of Tanzania. The district capital is the town of Karatu. According to the 2012 census, the population of the district was 230,166.
Ngorongoro District is one of seven districts in western Arusha Region of Tanzania. The district is bordered to the north by Kenya, to the east by Monduli District, the northeast by Longido District, and to the south by the Karatu District. The western border is the Serengeti District in Mara Region. Ngorongoro District is home to the Ngorongoro Crater and was named after it. It covers an area of 14,036 km2 (5,419 sq mi). The district is comparable in size to the land area of Timor Leste. The administrative seat is the town of Loliondo. The district is home to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The district is also home to the third tallest mountain in the country, Mount Loolmalasin. According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Ngorongoro Region was 129,776. By 2012, the population of the district was 174,278.
Loliondo is an administrative town in Orgosorok ward of the Ngorongoro District in the Arusha Region of Tanzania. It is the seat of the Ngorongoro District. In northern Tanzania, Loliondo is situated along the ridges of the Great Rift Valley. It is surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of lush, verdant forest. With Kenya's Maasai Mara in the north, the arid Longido Hills in the east, the Serengeti in the west, Ngorongoro Crater in the south.
The Crater Highlands or Ngorongoro Volcanic Highlands are a geological region along the East African Rift in the Arusha Region and parts of northern Manyara Region in north Tanzania. The Crater Highlands are made up of several large volcanic complexes, including the 2.4-2.2 Ma Lemagarut and 2.25-2.0 Ma Ngorongoro basalt-trachybasalt-trachyandesite volcanoes and the 1.6-1.5 Ma Oldeani basalt-trachyandesite volcano.
Tanzania is a country with many tourist attractions. Approximately 38 percent of Tanzania's land area is set aside in protected areas for conservation. There are 17 national parks, 29 game reserves, 40 controlled conservation areas and marine parks. Tanzania is also home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa.
Karatu or Karatu Town is an administrative ward and district capital located in the Karatu District of the Arusha Region of Tanzania. The ward town is bordered on its north side by Ganako ward, to the east by Rhotia ward, to the south by Endamarariek ward, and to the west by Qurus ward. According to the 2012 census, the ward has a total population of 26,617. Karatu ward is the most populous ward in Karatu district and is the capital of Karatu District.
Tanzania contains some 20 percent of the species of Africa's large mammal population, found across its reserves, conservation areas, marine parks, and 17 national parks, spread over an area of more than 42,000 square kilometres (16,000 sq mi) and forming approximately 38 percent of the country's territory. Wildlife resources of Tanzania are described as "without parallel in Africa" and "the prime game viewing country". Serengeti National Park, the country's second largest national park area at 14,763 square kilometres (5,700 sq mi), is located in northern Tanzania and is famous for its extensive migratory herds of wildebeests and zebra while also having the reputation as one of the great natural wonders of the world. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, established in 1959, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and inhabited by the Maasai people. Its Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact caldera in the world.
Mount Loolmalasin or Loolmalassin is a mountain located in the Ngorongoro District of the Arusha Region, Tanzania. It has a peak elevation of 3,682 metres (12,080 ft) above sea level. It is, after Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, the third-highest mountain in Tanzania if Kilimanjaro's three peaks are considered to be one mountain. The Mountain is located entirely within Nainokanoka ward. The volcano is located in the geographic area of the Crater Highlands and is an extinct volcano that last erupted in the pleistocene. Mount Loolmalasin is the second tallest mountain in Arusha Region and the highest point in Ngorongoro District. The mountain also is the source of Simiyu River, which flows west to Lake Victoria in Simiyu Region.
Mduma's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Tanzania.
The Empakaai Crater or Embagai is a collapsed volcanic caldera that is 300 meters high and 6 kilometers wide located in Naiyobi ward of Ngorongoro District in Arusha Region of Tanzania. The Crater is filled by a deep alkaline lake that occupies around 75% of the Crater's bottom and is approximately 85 meters deep. The crater is a caldera and is within UNESCO Biosphere Reserve protection program Empakaai's elevation on the outside is 3,200m above sea level on the western side and 2,590m above sea level on the eastern side. Empakaai is nearly always blanketed in mist due to its high altitude, and the lake appears emerald or deep blue in color. The crater is part of the Crater Highlands geographic zone.
Kerimasi Volcano, also known as Kerimasi at 2,602 metres (8,537 ft) is an extinct shield volcano located in Monduli District of Arusha Region in Tanzania. The majority of the mountain lies in Engaruka Ward, and a quarter of it is in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The volcano is located in the geographic area known as the Crater Highlands and is a shield volcano that last erupted in the Pleistocene.
Saidman volcano, also known as Sadiman or Satiman, is 2,879-meter-high stratovolcano located in Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region in Tanzania. The volcano is located in the geographic area known as the Crater Highlands and is a volcano that last erupted in the Pleistocene. The age of Sadiman volcano is unknown, with one source claiming a Pleistocene age and another claiming a K-Ar age of 4.5 million. Sadiman lava clasts have been discovered in layers dating back 1.7 to 2.0 million years. This volcano is part of the Serengeti-Ngorongoro UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in partnership with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Tanzania 