The terrain of the reserve is primarily open grassland with seasonal riverlets. Shrubs and trees fringe most drainage lines and cover hillslopes and hilltops. The Sand, Talek River and Mara River are the major rivers draining the reserve. Rainfall in the ecosystem increases markedly along a southeast–northwest gradient, varies in space and time, and is markedly bimodal. It is bounded by the Serengeti Park to the south, the Siria / Oloololo escarpment to the west, and Maasai pastoral ranches to the north, east and west. It is the northernmost section of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, which covers some 25,000 km 2 (9,700 sq mi) in Tanzania and Kenya. The total area under conservation in the Greater Maasai Mara ecosystem amounts to almost 1,510 km 2 (580 sq mi). Geography View of Mara River Sunrise over Maasai Mara National Reserve It is estimated that there are approximately half a million individuals that speak the Maa language and this number includes not only the Maasai but also Samburu and Camus people in Kenya. Tradition continues to play a major role in the lives of modern-day Maasai people, who are known for their tall stature, patterned shukas and beadwork. Prior to the establishment of the reserve as a protected area for the conservation of wildlife and wilderness, the Maasai were forced to move out of their native lands. The Maasai rely off of their lands to sustain their cattle, as well as themselves and their families.
As pastoralists, the community holds the belief that they own all of the cattle in the world. The Maasai people make up a community that spans across northern, central and southern Kenya and northern parts of Tanzania. In May 2001, the not-for-profit Mara Conservancy took over management of the Mara Triangle which covers the western part of the reserve. In 1994, the TransMara County Council (TMCC) was formed in the western part of the reserve, and control was divided between the new council and the existing Narok County Council. An additional 162 km 2 (63 sq mi) were removed from the reserve in 1976, and the park was reduced to 1,510 km 2 (580 sq mi) in 1984. Part of the reserve was given National Reserve status in 1974, and the remaining area of 159 km 2 (61 sq mi) was returned to local communities. The Narok County Council (NCC) took over management of the reserve at this time. The area was extended to the east in 1961 to cover 1,821 km 2 (703 sq mi) and converted to a Game Reserve. When it was originally established in 1961 as a wildlife sanctuary the Mara covered only 520 km 2 (200 sq mi) of the current area, including the Mara Triangle. The Greater Mara ecosystem encompasses areas known as the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Triangle, and several Maasai Conservancies, including Koiyaki, Lemek, Ol Chorro Oirowua, Mara North, Olkinyei, Siana, Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, and Kimintet. It also hosts the Great Migration, which secured it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and as one of the ten Wonders of the World. Maasai Mara is one of the most famous and important wildlife conservation and wilderness areas in Africa, world-renowned for its exceptional populations of lion, leopard, cheetah and African bush elephant. Their description of the area when looked at from afar: "Mara" means "spotted" in the local Maasai language, due to the many short bushy trees which dot the landscape. It is named in honor of the Maasai people, the ancestral inhabitants of the area, who migrated to the area from the Nile Basin. Maasai Mara, also sometimes spelled Masai Mara and locally known simply as The Mara, is a large national game reserve in Narok, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Trans-Mara County and Narok County County
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