Kenya

Name: Charley Jarrett

Class: 08HGG

Kenya is a developing east African country known for its wildlife and beautiful national parks. The capital city is Nairobi. The second largest city is Mombassa, located on the southeast coast. Tourist facilities are widely available in Nairobi, the game parks, and the reserves and on the coast.

Economy

Agriculture counts for one third of Kenya's income; agriculture includes coffee, tea, sisal, rice, wheat, pyrethrum, cashew nuts, sugar cane, and maize. The mining economy looks for diatomite, limestone, lead, gemstones, silver and gold. The manufacturing economy includes: food processing, textile manufacture, light industry, vehicle assembly, chemicals, cement, steel, paper, oil refining, tobacco and rubber. Tourism particularly to the national parks and the coastal resorts is a major contributor to foreign exchange earnings.

Climate

On the Indian Ocean coast it is extremely tropical, hot and humid. The inland regions are generally cooler and less humid. The average rainfall in Mombassa is 1200 mm / 47 inches. The average daily temperature ranges from 27 Celsius / 80 Fahrenheit to 31 Celsius / 88 Fahrenheit. Inland rainfall ranges from 500 mm / 20 inches in the south to 250 mm / 10 inches in the far north. There is generally frost and snow on the high mountains. There are 2 rainy seasons, the short rains in October and November and the long rains from March to May.

Tribes

The Tribes in Kenya include - Kikuyu, Luha, Luo, Kalejin, and Kamba. There are over 70 tribal and linguistic groups. There is a small minority of Europeans (37,000), Asians (81,000) and Arabs (40,000).

Language

The official languages are English and Swahili. There are many local languages including Luo, and Maasai.

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 38 00 E

Area:
total: 582,650 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km
water: 13,400 sq km

Land boundaries:
total: 3,446 km
border countries: Ethiopia 830 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km

Coastline: 536 km

Women dress Julia, Care, and Havan in Masai jewelry

Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Natural resources: gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, and hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 37%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 25% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 660 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring drought in northern and eastern regions; flooding during rainy seasons

People

Population: 30,339,770
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 6,566,424; female 6,419,034)
15-64 years: 54% (male 8,284,719; female 8,238,121)
65 years and over: 3% (male 366,200; female 465,272) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.53% (2000 est.)

Swahili Boy Swahili Girl Birth rate: 29.35-births / 1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 14.08-deaths / 1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 EST.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 EST.)

Infant mortality rate: 68.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.98 years
male: 46.95 years
female: 49.04 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.66 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.1%
male: 86.3%
female: 70% (1995 est.)

Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%

Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs 26%, Muslim 7%, other 1%

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 290,000 (1998)

James Telephones - mobile cellular: 6,000 (1999)

Telephone system: unreliable; little attempt to modernize

International: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations: 24AM, FM 8, short-wave 6 (1999)

Radios: 3.07 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 8 (1997)

Televisions: 730,000 (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7 (1999)

Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru, a small (it varies from 5 to 30 sq km) shallow alkaline lake on the edge of the town of Nakuru lies about 160 km north of Nairobi. It can therefore be visited in a day tour from the capital or more likely as part of a circuit taking in the Maasai Mara or Lake Baringo and east to Samburu. The lake is world famous as the location of the greatest bird spectacle on earth - myriads of fuchsia pink flamingo whose numbers are legion, often more than a million maybe two. They feed on the abundant algae, which thrive in the warm waters. Scientists reckon that the flamingo population at Nakuru consumes about 250,000 kilos of these algae per hectare of surface area per year. Reichenow's Weaver

But flamingo are not the only avian attraction, also unforgettable are two fish eating birds, pelicans and cormorants for despite the tepid and alkaline water a diminutive fish, tilapia grahami has flourished after being introduced in the early 1960's. The lake is rich in other bird life. There are over 400 resident species on the lake and in the surrounding park. Thousands of both little grebes and white winged black terns are frequently seen as are stilts, avocets, and ducks and in the European winter the migrant waders.

Lake Nakuru National the park that surrounds the lake has recently been enlarged partly to provide a sanctuary for black rhino. This undertaking has necessitated a fence - to keep out poachers rather than to restrict the movement of wildlife. The park now has more than 25 rhino, one of the largest concentrations in the country, so the chances of spotting these survivors are good. There are also a number of Rothschild's giraffe, again Tran located for safety from western Kenya. Waterbuck are very common and both the Kenya species are found here. Among the predators are lion and leopard, the latter being seen much more frequently in recent times. Some 30 km on the Nairobi side of Lake Nakuru is another alkaline lake - Elmenteita. Although situated on private land it can be visited and again is often home to tens of thousands of flamingo.