TSAVO NATIONAL PARK

national park, southeastern Kenya, east of Mount Kilimanjaro. It was established in 1948 and is the largest (8,036 square miles [20,812 square km]) of Kenya's national parks. Drained by the Tsavo and Galana rivers, and the Tiva River in the north, the park comprises semiarid plains covered by dormant vegetation (which bursts into luxuriant bloom after a light rain) and acacia and baobab trees. It is divided into two areas: the relatively flat Tsavo East and the volcanic Tsavo West, which is dotted with springs and water holes. Wildlife includes elephants, as well as lions, rhinoceroses, buffalo, hippopotamuses, hartebeests, several species of antelope, and hundreds of species of birds. Poaching, particularly for rhinoceroses, and brush fires are constant problems. The park is bisected by the Nairobi-Mombasa highway and railway line.