Origin
of name
Kenya is named
after a mountain of the same name.
The Kikuyu people who lived around
present day Mt Kenya referred to it
as Kirinyaga or Kerenyaga, meaning
‘mountain of whiteness’
because of its snow capped peak. Mt
Kirinyaga which was the main landmark
became synonymous with the territory
the British later claimed as their
colony. However, the name Kenya arose
out of the inability of the British
to pronounce Kirinyaga correctly.
Location
Kenya is bordered to the north by
Sudan and Ethiopia, to the east by
Somalia, to the west by Uganda, to
the south by Tanzania, and to the
southeast by the Indian Ocean. Much
of the country, especially in the
north and east, is arid or semi-arid.
From the Indian Ocean the land rises
gradually through dry bush to the
fine arable land of the highlands.
Area
Kenya covers an area of approximately
224,960 square miles and lies almost
exactly astride the equator. Up
Climate
In the low-lying
districts, particularly along the
coast, the climate is tropical,
hot and humid. On the Plateau and
in the highlands the climate is
more temperate. Western Kenya and
most parts of Nyanza experience
heavy conventional rain and have
two rain seasons, the long rains
from April to June and the short
rains from October to November.
Kenya’s warm
climate is favourable for tourism
during the drier season that is
between September and March.
Population
According to the national population
and housing census report of August
1999, there are an estimated 28,808,658
Kenyans dispersed around the country.
In the semi arid north and northeast
regions, population density hardly
reaches 2 per sq km, whereas in
the rich and fertile western, population
density rises to 120 persons per
sq km. In the well endowed Rift
Valley, population density varies
from one area to another with an
average of 13 inhabitants per sq
km.
Nearly 25% of the
total is concentrated in the large
cities of Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu
including large towns such as Nakuru.
Women account for 50.48% of the
total population.
Ethnic Composition
Cushites: This group includes the
Somali, Orma, Rendille, and Borana.
Bantu: This includes the Gikuyu,
Luhya, Kamba, Embu, Meru, and Kisii.
Nilotes: Includes the Luo, Kalenjin,
Maasai, Teso and Samburu.
Religions
Protestants: 38%
Catholics : 28%
Indigenious religions : 26%
Muslims : 7%
Others : 1%
Languages : English (Official),Swahili
(national), local languages.
Principal
commercial cities and towns
Nairobi is the capital city and
a commercial center. It is situated
300 miles from the Coast and lies
midway between the capitals of Uganda
and Tanzania. It is the largest
city in east Africa and houses two
UN agencies, UNEP and Habitat.
Mombasa is Kenya’s
main port and popular holiday city.
It is situated on an island in a
natural sheltered inlet. It is the
only port that serves not only Kenya
but land locked countries like Uganda,
Rwanda and Burundi and Eastern Democratic
Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan.
Kisumu is the Chief
Port city on the shores of lake
Victoria. It serves western Kenya,
Uganda and Tanzania.
Nakuru is an agricultural
and industrial town in the Rift
Valley basin.
Eldoret lies on
the main road and rail route to
Uganda. It is mainly an agricultural
town that serves wheat and Maize
farmers from the North Rift.
|
