Kenya is one of the 54 or so countries that make up the African continent. It is located mid-way on Africa’s eastern coastline with the Indian Ocean. It is split into almost two equal halves by the equator which gives it a sunny tropical weather all the year round.
Discover Culture, Safaris, Animals, Beaches and more
Kenya is a land of magnificent animals, living in their natural habitat in the vast dry wilderness. This is the ideal place for a Safari and for Adventure seekers. You will meet face to face with the big cats, lions, leopards, cheetahs and more.
There are many fun things to do including Mountain climbing, hot air ballooning and visiting their great National parks and Animal reserves.
Where to Go
Aberdares National Park
The park is heavily forested and has big animals like elephant lion, rhino, black leopard and the beautiful but elusive bongo antelope.
Lamu Kenya
Enjoy the Idyllic life in Lamu.
Lamu, Kenya’s oldest town is an island comprising one town and three villages. It has retained its charm and character over the centuries.
Meru National Park.
Visit Meru National Park, the home of famed conservationists George and Joy Adamson and a hub for Adventure.
Kenya Beach
Kenya’s coast has beautiful beaches with warm blue waters, white sands and protective corals, ideal location for swimming and water sports.
About Kenya
The country covers a total area of 580,367 square kilometers, has a current population of 40 million and is a neighbour to Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Southern Sudan and Somalia in the East African region.
Its coastline with the Indian Ocean runs approximately NE – SW for a distance of 536 kilometers.
Kenya is naturally a country of diversity and contrasts and among the features that visitors will no doubt appreciate are its mountains, plains, rifts and valleys, lakes, rivers, forests and rain forests, wildlife, deserts, historical sites, natural heritage and culture, the people and the climate among several others.
Economic Activities
The main economic activities in Kenya are agricultural based and it is a leading producer and exporter of tea and horticultural products. Tourism follows very closely in terms of foreign exchange earnings.
Cities and Towns
Kenya has three cities of which Nairobi is the largest and the seat of government. The other two are the port city and island of Mombasa situated on the Indian ocean coastline and Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria in Western Kenya.
There are several other smaller towns located in various parts of the country.
Climate and weather conditions
The climatic conditions are generally sunny most of the year round in most parts of the country.The coastal areas tend to be fairly humid while the highland areas experience slightly cooler climate.The Lake Victoria region also experiences fairly high temperatures but with average humidity.
There are no seasons in the real sense of the word but there are two rainy periods which are the long heavy rains during March/April and the short lighter rains during November/December.
Temperatures across the country may vary from around 10 degrees Centigrade to about 35 degrees Centigrade depending on the location and the time of the year.
Governance
The governance of Kenya is based on a democracy with elements borrowed from the British system. This is partly due to the fact that prior to her independence in 1963, Kenya was under the British colonial administration.
General elections are held every five years during which the president and members of parliament are elected by the country’s registered voters.
Education in Kenya
The present education system is generally referred to as the 8-4-4 system. By this, pupils spend 8 years in primary school, 4 years in secondary school and 4 years at university level.
Movement from one level to the next is determined by national examinations which are done every end of year.
At the same time, the country allows a number of other international systems of education such as the IGCSE and GCE-A level cirriculum.
Other than the universities, there are various mid-level tertiary colleges and polytechnics that absorb students who are not able to proceed all the way to university.
Location
Kenya lies astride the equator in Eastern Africa. It has boarder with Uganda, Somalia, Tanzania and the Indian Ocean.
Size
Kenya has a total area of 582,650 sq kilometers (13,400 sq kilometers covered by water mainly Lake Turkana and Lake Victoria
Major Cities
Mombasa (the principal seaport)
Kisumu, (chief port on Lake Victoria)
Nakuru (a commercial and manufacturing center in the Eastern Rift Valley) Eldoret (an industrial center in western Kenya)
Typography
Kenya’s land area constitutes of an inland region of semi-arid, bush-covered plains. In the Northwest, high-lying scrublands straddle Lake Turkana and the Kulal Mountains. There lie fertile grasslands and forests of the Kenya Highlands in the southwest, known for its agricultural productivity in Africa. Kenya has a great Rift Valley which is located in the country’s highest mountains of mountain Kenya a snow-capped that make up to 5,199 meters high and here being the second highest in Africa. In the south, mountain plains descend westward to the shores of Lake Victoria.
Climate
Kenya’s climate varies from tropical along the coast to arid in the interior, especially in the north and northeast. Intermittent droughts affect most of the country. The driest month is August, with 24 millimeters average rainfall, and the wettest is April, the period of “long rains,” The hottest month is February, with temperatures of 13°C to 28°C, and the with temperatures of 11°C to 23°C.
People & Culture
People of African descent make up about 97%t of the population and divided into about 40 ethnic groups belonging to three linguistic families: Bantu, Cushitic, and Nilotic. Bantu-speaking Kenyans compose to western (Luhya), highlands (including the Kikuyu and the Kamba), and coastal (Mijikenda) Bantu. The Nilotic speakers are the river-lake (Luo), highlands (Kalenjin), and plains or eastern (Masai). The Cushitic-speaking groups are the Oromo and Somali. The Kikuyu make up 22% of the population compose to Kenya’s largest ethnic group followed by the Luhya (14 %), Luo (13%), Kalenjin (12%), and Kamba (11%). Additional groups include the Kisii (6%), Meru (6%), and other African (15%). Small numbers of people of Indian, Pakistani, and European descent live in the interior, and there are some Arabs along the coast. The official languages of Kenya are Swahili and English; many indigenous languages from the three language families also are spoken.