Kenya - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of Kenya is a country on the Indian Ocean, in East Africa.

Kenya has an area of 224,961 square miles (582,646 square kilometers).

The capital of Kenya is Nairobi.

Kenya has coastal plains.

Further inland, there are plateaus and volcanoes.

The Great Rift Valley runs through Kenya. It extends in a north south direction through the country, west of Nairobi.

There is a large plateau that runs in between the eastern and western rift valleys in Kenya, Uganda and the western part of Tanzania. Erosion has caused this plateau to become leveled. However, there are some isolated outcrops known as inselbergs.

Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, lies to the southwest of Kenya. Lake Victoria has an area of 26,591 square miles (68,870 square kilometers), The lake, which also borders Tanzania and Uganda, is located in a basin between the Great Rift Valley's eastern and western arms. Lake Victoria contains many islands and many coral reefs. It is the third largest lake in the world, after the Caspian Sea in Eurasia and Lake Superior in North America.

Kenya has a tropical climate along the coast. There is savanna in the south. The north is semi-desert.

39,802,000 people live in Kenya.

Most of them live in the center of the country.

20% of the people are Kikuyu, 14% are Luhya, 13% are Luo, 11% are Kalenjin and 11% are Kamba.

Kiswahili and English are official languages. Kikuyu, Luo, Kalenjin and Kamba are also spoken.

60% of the population is Christian, 25% practices traditional beliefs and 6% are Muslim.

Kenya benefits from the fertile soils of the Lake Victoria basin as well as from rich volcanic soils.

Its primary exports are agricultural - in particular, coffee, tea, vegetables and fruit.

Tourism and oil refining are other important sources of foreign income.

The national parks of Kenya, which are home to many rare African animals, appeal greatly to tourists. Revenue from tourism supports the conservation work in these parks.

Kenya acts as a re-exporter for neighboring countries with no access to the ocean.

Light industry plays an important role in Kenya's economy.

Most of Kenya's electricity comes from hydroelectric power produced by the Upper Tana River.

Kenya has a mixed presidential-parliamentary system of government.

The official currency of Kenya is the Kenya shilling, which equals 100 cents.

Kenya is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.