Geography
Area: 582,646 sq. km. (224,960 sq mi.); slightly smaller than Texas.
Cities: Capital--Nairobi (pop. 2.1 million). Other cities--Mombasa
(665,000), Kisumu (504,000), Nakuru (1.2 million).
Terrain: Kenya rises from a low coastal plain on the Indian Ocean in a
series of mountain ridges and plateaus which stand above 3,000 meters
(9,000 ft.) in the center of the country. The Rift Valley bisects the
country above Nairobi, opening up to a broad arid plain in the north.
Mountain plains cover the south before descending to the shores of
Lake Victoria in the west.
Climate: Varies from the tropical south, west, and central regions to
arid and semi-arid in the north and the northeast.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Kenyan(s).
Population (2002 est.): 30 million.
Annual growth rate (2003 est.): 1.7%.
Ethnic groups: African--Kikuyu 21%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%,
Kalenjin 11%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 5%. Non-African--Asian,
European, Arab 1%.
Christian singles note-Religions: Indigenous
beliefs 10%, Protestant 40%, Roman Catholic 30%, Muslim 20%.
Languages: English, Swahili, more than 40 local ethnic languages.
Education: Years compulsory--None, but first 8 years of primary
school are provided through cost-sharing between government and
parents. Attendance--84% for primary grades. Literacy
(in English)—65.5%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--115/1,000. Life expectancy--49
yrs.
Work force (1.7million wage earners): Public sector 30%; private
sector 70%. Informal sector workers--3.7 million. Services--45%;
industry and commerce--35%; agriculture--20%.
Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: December 12, 1963.
Constitution: 1963.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state, head of
government, commander in chief of armed forces). Legislative--unicameral
National Assembly (parliament). Judicial--Court of Appeal, High
Court, various lower and special courts, including Kadhis’ (Islamic)
courts
Administrative subdivisions: 69 districts, joined to form 7 rural
provinces. Nairobi area has special status.
Political parties: Registered political parties, 41. Ruling party,
National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), coalition of 14 separately
registered parties.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Economy
GDP (2003): $12.7 billion.
Annual growth rate (2003): 1.4%.
Per capita income: $271.
Natural resources: Wildlife, land.
Agriculture: Products--tea, coffee, sugarcane, horticultural
products, corn, wheat, rice, sisal, pineapples, pyrethrum, dairy
products, meat and meat products, hides, skins. Arable land--5%.
Industry: Types--petroleum products, grain and sugar milling,
cement, beer, soft drinks, textiles, vehicle assembly, paper and light
manufacturing.
Trade (2002): Exports--$2.2 billion: tea, coffee, horticultural
products, petroleum products, cement, pyrethrum, soda ash, sisal,
hides and skins, fluorspar. Major markets--Uganda, Tanzania,
United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Egypt, South
Africa, United States. Imports--$3.2 billion: machinery,
vehicles, crude petroleum, iron and steel, resins and plastic
materials, refined petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, paper and
paper products, fertilizers, wheat. Major suppliers--U.K.,
Japan, South Africa, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Italy, India,
France, United States, Saudi Arabia.
PEOPLE
Christian singles note-Kenya has a very diverse
population that includes most major language groups of Africa.
Traditional pastoralists, rural farmers, Muslims, and urban residents
of Nairobi and other cities contribute to the cosmopolitan culture.
The standard of living in major cities, once relatively high compared
to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, has been declining in recent years.
Most city workers retain links with their rural, extended families and
leave the city periodically to help work on the family farm. About 75%
of the work force is engaged in agriculture, mainly as subsistence
farmers. The national motto of Kenya is harambee, meaning
"pull together." In that spirit, volunteers in hundreds of
communities build schools, clinics, and other facilities each year and
collect funds to send students abroad.
The six state universities enroll about 45,000 students,
representing some 25% of the Kenyan students who qualify for
admission. There are six private universities.
