CAPITAL
Nairobi
INDEPENDENCE
12 December 1963
POPULATION
27 000 000 (approx)
AREA
580 367 sq km
CURRENCY
Kenyan shilling
LANGUAGE
The national language is KiSwahili, although English is spoken throughout. In total, there are 42 ethnic languages in Kenya.
CULTURE
There are more than 70 tribal groups among the Africans in Kenya.
CLIMATE
Kenya is divided by the equator and enjoys a tropical climate that varies greatly. The hottest period is in February and March and the coldest in July and August.
Kenya, situated on the equator beside the Indian Ocean, has four geographical regions. The northern terrain is arid desert, with savannah grassland in the southern regions. Along the coast and the shores of Lake Victoria are fertile lowlands, and in the west are the highlands with the spectacular Rift Valley.
Kenya is home to the greatest concentration of free-ranging wildlife on earth, as well as an astounding diversity of people with almost every main African tongue spoken and over forty distinct ethnic groups.
One tenth of all land in Kenya is designated as national parkland.
Over 50 parks and reserves cover all habitats from desert to mountain forest.
