Kenya
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri y Kenya local short form: Kenya former: British East Africa |
| Gevernment type | republic |
| Capital |
name: Nairobi
geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center |
| Currency | Kenyan shilling (KES) |
| Internet country code | .ke |
| Ports and terminals | Mombasa |
| Agriculture products | tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs |
| Industries | small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism |
| Geography |
| Location | Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania |
| Coordinates | 1 00 N, 38 00 E |
| Continent | Africa |
| Area |
total: 582,650 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km water: 13,400 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km |
| Coastline | 536 km |
| Climate | varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior |
| Terrain | low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west |
| Natural resources | limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower |
| Natural hazards | recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons |
| People |
| Population | 34,707,817
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 2006 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 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely |
| Languages | English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages |
