Somalia-Masai regional centre of endemism

Connected Sites: 4

Definition
In identifying the natural biodiversity regions in Africa, Kingdon (1989) uses the fact that around one quarter of the known plants and animals indigenous to Africa are clustered in distinct geographical enclaves referred to as regional centres of endemism. The Somalia-Masai regional centre of endemism is dry, with rainfall rarely exceeding 500 mm a year. Over half of the 2 500 plant species found are endemic to this regional centre of endemism.

Map

Connected Sites

  • Serengeti
    Serengeti
    Tanzania
    Inscribed: 1981
    4.41
    122
    5
  • Lake Turkana
    Lake Turkana
    Kenya
    Inscribed: 1997
    2.64
    11
    1
  • Ngorongoro
    Ngorongoro
    Tanzania
    Inscribed: 1979
    4.36
    129
    4
  • Mount Kenya
    Mount Kenya
    Kenya
    Inscribed: 1997
    2.93
    44
    3
    "the area lies at the interface of the Afromontane and Somali biomes and within the Somali – Maasai Center of Endemism" (AB ev)