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The Serengeti ecosystem is located in Africa, spanning the Mara and Arusha regions of Tanzania, with approximately 30,000 km2 of protected land, including the Serengeti National Park and several game reserves. The region hosts the second-largest terrestrial mammal migration globally and is known for its large lion population, with approximately 70 large mammal and 500 bird species. The name "Serengeti" is often said to be derived from the word "seringit" in the Maasai language, meaning "endless plains," though this etymology is not found in Maa dictionaries. The region was sparsely inhabited for eons, and nomadic pastoralists of the Maasai began to migrate to the area in the early 20th century. The great wildebeest migration begins in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area of the southern Serengeti, Tanzania, and loops clockwise through the Serengeti National Park and north towards the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya. The Serengeti is also famous for its abundant large predators, including over 3,000 lions, 1,000 African leopards, and 7,700 to 8,700 spotted hyenas. Altitudes in the Serengeti range from 920 to 1,850 meters with mean temperatures varying from 15 to 25 °C. Rainfall occurs in two rainy seasons: March to May, and a shorter season in October and November. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which contains Ngorongoro Crater and the Olduvai Gorge, is also located in the region.