What is the name of the world's largest volcanic crater, located in Tanzania?
Answer
Ngorongoro Crater
Answer
Ngorongoro Crater
The world's largest intact volcanic crater in Tanzania is the Ngorongoro Crater.
More precisely, Ngorongoro is a vast volcanic caldera: a depression formed when a large volcano's summit collapsed after a major eruption. The collapse occurred roughly 2.5 million years ago. The resulting basin is about 16–19 kilometers wide and reaches roughly 600 meters in depth, with steep walls enclosing a broad grassland floor.
The crater is famous not only for its geology but also for its wildlife. Its permanent water sources and enclosed terrain support large populations of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, elephants, lions, hyenas, and other animals. Black rhinoceroses are among the rarer species found there. Lake Magadi, a shallow alkaline lake on the floor, attracts flamingos and other birds.
“Crater” is the familiar name, but “caldera” is the more scientifically precise term. Ngorongoro is also part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where wildlife conservation coexists with traditional Maasai pastoralism. It should not be confused with Yellowstone Caldera, which is much larger but is not the same kind of intact, unfilled wildlife basin.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026