The Serengeti is
one out of Tanzania’s fifteen national parks, and is also a minor part of
Kenya; all of which is located in Eastern Africa. This park was created in 1951 after verifying the park’s
protected area status. Today, the
Serengeti has an area of 27,000 km2 and is positioned at 1,600m to
1,800m above sea level, since it is a part of the high interior plateau of East
Africa. This park is part of the tropical grassland biome or also known as a
savanna. Savannas are mainly covered with grasses with scattered amounts of
trees. In a savanna, there is typically little precipitation. The Serengeti
experiences orographic precipitation from the Meru-Kilimanjaro mountain range,
further contributing to the climate’s wet and dry seasons. Therefore, when rain
does fall, long periods of rain fall between March and May, while short periods
of rain falls between November and December.
Plants in the
ecosystem have become adapted to the droughts and fires that occur, which is
why there is an extensive root system in the ecosystem. During the wet season, plants grow very
quickly due to the nutrient rich soil and due to the suppression of fire.
However, during the dry season, fire is what allows these plants to burn and
prevent the overgrowing of plants. The Serengeti contains the largest number of animal species
and animal populations in Eastern Africa. Today, the Serengeti contains the
greatest concentration of large predators as well as migratory herds. For
example many carnivorous megafauna like lions and cheetahs exist in this
ecosystem today due to competition with other animals. Herbivores like
wildebeest and zebras migrate long distances across the Serengeti. Overall, the
park itself is protected in order to maintain the ecosystem, and it is one of
the few places that has not be altered from the past.
