Kenya: A Profile
NAME:
Formal name: Republic of Kenya; short
form: Kenya.
FORMER
COLONIAL HISTORY: A British colony
and protectorate.
INDEPENDENCE:
December 12, 1963. Kenya proclaimed
itself a republic on December 12,
1964.
CAPITAL:
Nairobi (population 1,646,000 in 1994).
HEAD
OF STATE: President and Commander-in-chief
Daniel Arap Moi.
AREA:
The nation's total area is 224,961
square miles (582,647 sq. km), of
which over 4,100 square miles consists
of natural lakes.
GEOGRAPHICAL
LOCATION: In Eastern Africa, straddling
the equator, between latitudes 4o
N and 4o S, and longitudes 34o E and
41o E; bordered on the east by Somalia
and the Indian Ocean, on the north
by Ethiopia and Sudan, on the west
by Uganda and on the south by Tanzania.
TOPOGRAPHY:
Seven distinct geographic regions.
Kenya's regions make up two larger
divisions: one consisting of elevated
lands forming the southwestern third
of the country, the remaining two-thirds
forming an arc of low plateaus and
plains. The land rises gradually westward
from a narrow coastal plain in a series
of plateaus, culminating in a highland
area that is bisected by the great
Rift Valley and includes the country's
highest point, Mount Kenya. The northern
and northeastern regions of the country
consist mainly of arid plains and
are peopled by semi-nomadic pastoralists.
CLIMATE:
A combination of meteorological and
topographic factors give the result
that only about one-seventh of Kenya's
land area, mainly the coastal and
southern highland regions, receive
a reliable yearly rainfall of thirty
inches or more. Though much of country
has two wet and two dry seasons, total
rainfall varies unpredictably. Its
highlands are temperate and its coastal
zone hot and humid; arid areas are
generally hot.
POPULATION:
A full census is undertaken every
ten years. Kenya's population in 1989
was reported to be 21.4m with an annual
growth rate of 3.3%. UN estimates
for mid-1996 give a figure of 31.8m.
LANGUAGES:
English, Swahili, and local languages
(e.g. Kikuyu, Nandi, Luhya, Luo, etc.).
RELIGION:
Christianity, Islam, and traditional
beliefs.
EDUCATION:
Kenya offers its citizens a complete
educational system from primary school
through university. Primary education
is provided free of charge. A student
who continues through the educational
system will have spend eight years
in primary schools, five years in
secondary schools and four years at
university. Kenya's leading educational
institutions include the University
of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Moi
University, Kenya Polytechnic, the
Jomo Kenyatta College of Agriculture
and Technology, Kenya Medical Training
College and Mombasa Polytechnic.
HEALTH:
Kenya's most serious medical problems
include malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis,
parasitic infections, and childhood
diseases. These are aggravated and
complicated by malnutrition and poor
sanitary conditions.
ECONOMY:
Much of Kenya's population traditionally
engages in farming for its subsistence
and income. However, an expanding
economy allowed Kenya during 1964-72
to lead most African countries in
its growth rate, largely due to tourism,
consumer manufacturing, and crop exports,
though its economy has not been consistently
strong in all regions. Agriculture
still accounts for 30% of the country's
GDP.. Kenya has the largest economy
of the three countries of the East
African Community by virtue of its
population, though its GDP per head
in 1996 was marginally lower than
Uganda in dollar terms.
CURRENCY:
The Kenyan Shilling (KSh).
FOREIGN
TRADE: Principal exports include coffee,
tea, canned pineapples, sisal, beans,
Pyrethrum, soda ash, cement, etc.
Principal imports include crude oil,
machinery, vehicles, refined petroleum,
plastics, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers,
etc.
Resources researched
by
Abdelaziz Marhoum, & David A. Samper
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