Kenya combines striking landscapes and abundant wildlife with a rich cultural heritage. It is home to 40 million people, approximately 4 million of whom live and work in Nairobi, our capital city.
Located in East Africa straddling the equator, the Indian Ocean laps Kenyan shores to the southeast, and we share borders with Somalia to the east, Sudan to the northwest, Ethiopia to the north, Uganda to the west and Tanzania to the south. Kenya is 582,650 square kilometers in size, a little smaller than Texas, a little bigger than France!
Our climate varies from a tropical zone along the Coast to a semi-arid interior, whilst the elevation of the Kenyan Highlands (including Nairobi) sustains a moderate climate all year round, with average temperatures varying from a minimum of 10ºC - 14ºC to a maximum of 22ºC - 26ºC.
Our landscapes are varied: wide, white-sand beaches at the Coast and inland bushy savannah plains which cover three-quarters of the country. Kenya shares Lake Victoria (the largest lake in Africa and the main source of the Nile River) with Tanzania and Uganda. The wide, steep canyons of the Great Rift Valley cut through the highlands, with the peak of Mt Kenya looming at 17,000 feet.
Kenya is home to some of the world's most spectacular wildlife, including the big five: elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard; as well as giraffe, cheetah and hippo; great herds of wildebeest, zebra and antelope; and numerous rare and beautiful species of birds.
The currency unit in Kenya is the Kenyan shilling. Broad conversion rates are approximately 100 shillings to the US dollar and 150 shillings to the UK pound.
History
In the mid-1800s, European explorers began to take interest in the natural resources of East Africa. Christian missionaries came and Britain increased its presence in the region; in 1885 Kenya was named a British protectorate by the Congress of Berlin. The increasing economic opportunities attracted thousands of British settlers.
Kenya gained its independence in 1963 with President Jomo Kenyatta who ruled Kenya from independence until his death in 1978. President Daniel arap Moi took power in a constitutional succession in 1978. The country was a de facto one-party state until President Moi conformed to internal and external pressure for a democracy in 1991. President Moi stepped down in December 2002 following elections where the current President Mwai Kibaki took office. Kenya adopted a new constitution in August 2010.
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