Jump Links: ________Physical Features--------------Climate----------------Plants & Animals--------------------People
 
The savanna lies north and south of the rain forest. A savanna is a rolling grassland that is scatted with shrubs and isolated trees. There is not enough rain that falls to support a forest in the savanna. Savannas are also known as tropical grasslands. Savannas are found between tropical rainforest and deserts in a wide band on either side of the equator.

Physical Features

 

Climate

 The average rainfall a year in the African Savanna is about the same as Wisconsin . There are two main seasons in the savanna very dry and wet but the temperature remains warm all year. During the wet season 15-25 inches of rain fall a month. During the dry season only about 4 inches of rain a month. The rainy season happens when the sun is high in the sky (summer) and the dry season happens when the sun is low in the sky (winter).
 
 

Plants & Animals

The African Savanna is a rolling grass land dotted with trees. It also has thrornbush in which many different kinds of plants such as acacia, candelabra tree, jackalberry trees, umbrella thorn acacia, whistling thorn, Bermuda grass, baobabs, and elephant grass. The Serengeti Plains are a grassy savanna that has very dry but nutrient-rich volcanic sand. Around 2 million large plant eating mammals live in the savanna. There are about 45 species of mammals and 500 species of birds. There are animals such as lions, wildcats; klipspringer, steenbok, and zebras, There are the largest diversity of hoofed animals in the world including antelopes, wildebeest, buffalos, and rhinoceros.

 

People

There are many different groups of people who live in the savanna. They all have a strong identity with the sprawling plains that surround them. These groups of people came from pastoral groups coming to the savanna looking for food, scavenging after leftover game killed by large predators, Today the original hunter-gatherers exists in groups such as the Dorobo tribes in the eastern Serengeti who survive by hunting small games and collecting honey, wild fruits and vegetables. Long ago, the Dorobo were joined by herdsmen and pastoralists (farmers) from northern Africa , among these are the Maasai. The Maasai are tall, dark skinned herdsmen who wear striking red cloaks and beadwork which have come to symbolize the face of Africa 's savanna people to the outside world. The Maasai share the plains with the Kikuyu who are traditionally a nation of farmers.