Mara (river)
| Mara | ||
 The course of the Mara |
||
| Data | ||
| location |
 Kenya Tanzania
|
|
| River system | Nile | |
| Drain over | Victoria Nile → Albert Nile → Bahr al-Jabal → White Nile → Nile → Mediterranean | |
| source | in the Abuya swamps in the Mau forest | |
| Source height | 2920 m | |
| muzzle |
Lake Victoria coordinates: 1 ° 30 ′ 50 " S , 33 ° 55 ′ 56" E 1 ° 30 ′ 50 " S , 33 ° 55 ′ 56" E
|
|
| length | 395 km | |
| Catchment area | 13,325 km² | |
 Aerial view of the Mara in the Maasai Mara, Kenya |
||
The Mara , also Mara River, is a river in East Africa with a length of 395 km. Its catchment area is 13,325 km².
course
It rises in Kenya not far from the city of Nakuru in the Abuya swamps of the Mau forest , which is in the east of the Rift Valley province . From there it flows through the Maasai Mara game reserve in southwest Kenya. After crossing the border into Tanzania, it flows west and crosses the north of the Serengeti . It flows into a spacious march , the Masurua Swamps, in Lake Victoria .
Since the 1970s, the river has lost 60% of its runoff, partly due to heavy deforestation in the headwaters.
ecology
The Mara is the only river in the Serengeti National Park that carries water all year round and thus ensures the survival of huge herds of wild ungulates ( wildebeest , zebras , antelopes ) during the dry season.
The seasonal mass crossing of the river by the wildebeest has already been described in several documentary films. The course of the river is also home to numerous species of birds.
Individual evidence
- ↑ WWF project sheet (PDF; 231 kB)
