The
Serengeti ecosystem is a
geographical region in Africa. It is located in northern
Tanzania. It spans approximately 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi).
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,
[1] and as one of the
ten natural travel wonders of the world.
[2] The Serengeti is also renowned for its large lion population and is one of the best places to observe prides in their natural environment.
Serengeti is derived from the
Maasai language,
Maa; specifically, "Serengit" meaning "Endless Plains".
By the mid-1970s, wildebeest and the Cape buffalo populations had recovered and were increasingly cropping the grass, reducing the amount of fuel available for fires. The reduced intensity of fires has allowed acacia to once again become established.
In the 21st century, mass
rabies vaccination programmes for domestic dogs in the Serengeti have not only indirectly prevented hundreds of human deaths, but also protected wildlife species such as the endangered
African wild dog.
About 250,000 wildebeest die during the journey from Tanzania to the
Maasai Mara National Reserve in southwestern Kenya, a total of 800 kilometres (500 mi). Death is usually from thirst, hunger, exhaustion, or
predation.
