ABOUT KENYA













Figure 5: Kenya Map
Geography
Kenya's topography is a study of contrasts. Features range from deserts to snow capped mountains, sandy coastlines to freshwater lakes, savannah grasslands to fertile agricultural plantations, extinct volcanoes to coral reefs.














Figure 6: Mt. Kenya
Kenya lies on the equator and is bordered on the north by South Sudan and Ethiopia; Uganda and Lake Victoria lie to its west; Tanzania and Mount Kilimanjaro are to the south while the Indian Ocean and Somalia lie to its East. Kenya has twenty mountains, six of which rise to over 3,000 meters (9,900 feet). The capital city is Nairobi, which in Maasai language means “The Land of Cool Waters”. The city is inhabited by 3million people.













Figure 7: Nairobi city centre
Climate
Kenya's climate is warm all year round, with plenty of sunshine. It is generally cool at night and in the morning. The hottest season falls between February and March with temperatures as high as 93°F (34°C), while the coolest season falls between July and August with temperatures dropping to the low 50's(°F) (10°C).
History
Arab traders began frequenting the Kenya coast around the first century AD. Arab and Persian settlements sprouted along the coast by the eighth century. During the first millennium AD, Nilotic and Bantu peoples moved into the region, and the latter now comprises three-quarters of Kenya's population.

The Swahili language, a mixture of Bantu and Arabic, developed as a lingua franca for trade between the different peoples. Arab dominance on the coast was eclipsed by the arrival of the Portuguese in 1498, who gave way in turn to Islamic control under the Imam of Oman in the 1600s. The United Kingdom established its influence in the 19th century.

Kenya became independent on December 12, 1963 and Mzee Jomo Kenyatta became the first president of the new republic.
Economy
Kenya is East Africa’s financial and communications hub, the headquarters for many international nongovernmental organizations. Notably, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) has its headquarters in Gigiri, Kenya. The main economic activities are agriculture, financial services and tourism. Over 1 million foreign tourists visit the country each year to see among other attractions the Great Annual Wildebeest Migration of Serengeti and Masai Mara (one of USA Today’s New Seven Wonders of the World).

Kenya is the largest exporter of black tea in the world.
People
Kenya is a multicultural county and has residents from all parts of the world.   In addition to the local African population there are Asian, European and Arabic minorities. The Europeans are mostly former British citizens who chose to stay behind after Kenya gained independence from the United Kingdom. A majority of Asians are third and fourth generation Indians who were brought in by the British to build the railways in the 19th century.
The official languages are English and Kiswahili.
Fun Facts
  • Professor Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist, was the first African woman to win Nobel Peace Prize, in 2004
  • Kenya/East Africa is widely considered the cradle of mankind: fossils found in East Africa suggest that proto-humans roamed the area more than 20 million years ago
  • Kenya is the world’s most successful nation in track athletics: Kenya holds 8 of the men’s world  records in middle and long distance track events and 5 of the women’s world records (as of September 2011). Kenyans have won 18 out of the latest 21 Boston Marathons (from 1991 to 2011).
  • Prince William proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Kate Middleton (now The Duchess  of Cambridge) while on a ten-day trip to Kenya’s Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
  • Queen Elizabeth II received news of her father’s death (and ascended to the throne) while on safari in Kenya
  • The father of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America, was born in Siaya District, Kenya.
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