Kenya lies along the equator on Africa’s east coast. Kenya borders Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Lake Victoria lies in the west. The Indian Ocean is to the east.
Highlands rise in the western part of Kenya. The Great Rift Valley divides the highlands. Mount Kenya, at 17,058 feet (5,199 meters), is Kenya’s highest peak. It lies in the center of the country. East of the highlands, the land slopes down toward the coast.
Kenya’s most important river, the Tana, flows from the highlands to the Indian Ocean. Most of the country’s other rivers are short and shallow. They sometimes dry up when there is little rainfall.
Kenya has two wet seasons and two dry seasons. The highlands and the coast receive the most rain. The north is Kenya’s driest area. Temperatures are generally warmer in the north and cooler in the highlands.
Evergreen forests and bamboo grow in the highlands. East and west of the highlands, low trees grow among grass. Thorn bushes and baobab trees dot the dry landscape of the north.
Some of the rarest wildlife in the world lives in Kenya. The country’s animals include elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, leopards, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, impalas, hyenas, hippos, and crocodiles. Many national parks and game reserves protect the wildlife.
The people of Kenya belong to many different ethnic groups. The largest groups are the Kikuyu, the Luhya, the Luo, the Kalenjin, and the Kamba. There are also groups of nomads, or wanderers, such as the Masai. Each group has its own language and culture. Most people also speak English or Swahili as a second language.
The most common religion is Christianity. Smaller groups of people follow Islam or traditional African religions.
Most Kenyans live in rural areas, but cities have grown rapidly since the early 1970s. Nairobi is the largest city.
Most Kenyans are farmers who grow crops for their families. Corn is the main food crop. Kenya grows tea, flowers, and coffee to sell to other countries.
Manufacturers make flour from grains and sugar from sugarcane. They also produce beverages, petroleum products, cloth, paper, cement, and leather.
Tourism is an important part of Kenya’s economy. Many tourists visit Kenya to see its wildlife or to visit its beautiful beaches.
For centuries African people along Kenya’s coast traded with Arabs from across the Indian Ocean. Europeans arrived in the area in the 1800s. By the 1890s the British had taken control of Kenya. They made it a British colony in 1920.
The British encouraged white people from Great Britain and South Africa to settle in Kenya. The British set aside much of the colony’s land for whites. As a result, the native people of Kenya grew angry at the British. In 1952 they began a rebellion. A group called the Mau Mau led the struggle. The Mau Mau rebellion ended in 1960.
Kenya became an independent country in 1963. In 1982 Kenya’s president, Daniel arap Moi, took stronger control of the country. Moi’s political party became the only legal party. Many people called for reforms because they thought the government was corrupt. Other parties were allowed to participate in elections after 1991, but Moi continued to lead the country until 2002. Kenya still faced political problems after he stepped down. Violent protests erupted after the elections of 2007. In 2010 Kenya adopted a new constitution. It lessened the president’s power and gave the people a bill of rights. Kenya’s next elections were considered peaceful and fair. However, problems occurred again in later elections.
