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What is the best ethnic food you ever had that you just can't find at home?

Taiwanese Street food

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  • From Denver, United States
  • Currently in Denver, United States

Our Curious World

The world is a fascinating place! Working in 23 different countries, Experiential Learning International and our volunteers have seen some crazy stuff.

August 12, 2009

Tanzania Tanzania  |  Aug 12, 2009
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The largest unbroken, unflooded caldera in the world is the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.  Not truly a crater (which would be caused by a meteorite), the Ngorongoro was created when a giant volcano exploded and then collapsed in on itself 2 - 3 million years ago.  The result was a natural 102 sq. mile enclosure that contains a large variety of animals virtually left untouched by influences outside the crater.  The largest caldera in the world is in many ways also the largest (only?) natural zoo.  The Crater contains a remarkably accurate cross section of Serengeti and East African animal species.  It hosts approximately 25,000 animals encompassing almost every single individual species in the region.  Missing, however, are impalas, topis, oribis, giraffes, and crocodiles who apparantly have never managed in the last  3 million years to make the trek over the crater rim and into the lush interior. 

While the variety of vegetation and isolated animal ecosystem make for a wonderful natural scientific study ground, it also has a few problems.  The Ngorongoro lions in particular have particularly suffered as they have become extremely inbred over the previous centuries.  Very few external lions make it into the area, preventing an expansion of the gene pool.  This isolation is slowly being broken however.  Safari companies have penetrated into the interior bringing a, hopefully, sustainable ecotourism.  Luxury lodges have popped up and the governing body of the conservation area has even allowed the Maasai to bring their cattle into the Crater to graze.  Ecologists are keeping a close eye on it all, and have implemented a controlled burning program to maintain the health of the grasslands.  Hopefully, as droughts continue to rage across East Africa, and political instability is an ever-present threat, the Ngorongoro Crater will remain a sanctuary apart from the turmoil of Africa.

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