Tanzania 🇹🇿 - Ngorongoro Crater National Park
The Ngorongoro Crater (active approximately 2.5 to 1.9 million years ago) is geologically composed of basaltic trachyandesite, containing a shallow (1.7 meters) saltwater lake, Lake Magadi.
This is the world's largest inactive, intact crater. The crater formed from the collapse of a massive volcanic eruption approximately 2.45 to 2 million years ago. The original volcano was estimated to be 4,500–5,800 meters high. After the collapse, the crater became slightly elliptical, with a diameter of 18–20 kilometers and a vertical drop of approximately 610 meters from the crater floor. The floor area is 260 square kilometers. It was named one of Africa's Seven Natural Wonders in February 2013.
The protected area was established in 1959 and covers an area of 8,094 square kilometers. This reserve was designated a Natural Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979 and a Cultural Heritage site in 2005, making it a composite heritage site that combines both natural and cultural significance.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is estimated to be home to approximately 25,000 large animals, primarily ungulates, living within the Ngorongoro Crater. Large mammals include the critically endangered eastern black rhinoceros, whose population declined from approximately 108 individuals between 1964 and 1966 to 11-14 individuals in 1995. Other animals include hippos, African buffalo, wildebeest, Graham's zebra, Eleanor's gazelle, Graham's gazelle, Thomson's gazelle, and waterbuck. Additionally, there are southern lions, servals, and small numbers of cheetahs, leopards, and African wild dogs. The reserve borders another World Heritage site, Serengeti National Park, to the west. Millions of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, and other animals migrate annually between these two areas, creating a spectacular sight.