Yellowstone was designated as the first national park in the world in 1872 and also became one of the first biosphere reserves about 100 years later. The area is part of the most seismically active region of the Rocky Mountains and lies on a volcanic 'hot spot'. Thus, Yellowstone is well known for its hydrothermal features such as geysers, hot springs and mud pots. It contains more geysers than all the rest of the world, along with 200-250 active geysers and some 10,000 thermal features.
Yellowstone provides an excellent area for research with studies on large mammals, fisheries, vegetation, fire ecology and geology.
