Facts About Kenya :Kenya as a country is located in East Africa region bordering with Uganda in the west, Tanzania in the south, South Sudan, Somali and Ethiopia in the north and the Indian Ocean in the East.
Kenya is a multi-tribal country with 3 main tribes that are the Bantu, Nilote and Cushite, each of these tribes has sub-tribes each with all unique in their particular culture. Those there are a lot of tribes the Masai, the Samburu and the Turkana people are one of the main tribes in Kenya.
The official languages spoken in Kenya are English and Swahili.
Kenya lies across the Equator with a land surface of 580,370 square kilometers, because of the huge surface of the country. It hosts numerous parks which are protected for conservation of wildlife and ecosystem, Kenya is a home to some of the best wildlife species and best white sand beaches in the world.
Kenya Geography
Geographically, Kenya is the 47th-largest nation in the world. This beautiful country is located between latitudes 5°N and 5°S and longitudes 34° and 42°E, the country comprises of low plains ascending to the central highlands from coast along the Indian Ocean and the Great Rift Valley which cuts across the mountains.
In the East region of Kenya, there is a rich plateau in the upper central Kenya and the Kenyan Highlands. This region is one of the productive agricultural regions of Kenya, these highlands ar a home to Mount Kenya– the tallest mountain in Kenya and the second highest in Africa rising to the height of 5,199 meters (17,057 feet).
Climate
Kenya’s climate ranges from tropical along the coast to a temperate interior and arid in the north and northeast, at Kenya’s coat it is generally tropical with rainfall and temperatures being higher throughout the year. The coastal towns of Kenya such as Mombasa, Lamu and Malindi have the air changing from cold to hot almost every day. Further inside Kenya, the climate becomes more arid which is nearly devoid of rainfall and temperature swings widely accordingly to the general time of the day or night, Facts About Kenya
Inland Kenya most especially in central Kenya – the highlands region, the temperatures levels are lover and at night they drop to about10–12 °C that is why warm clothes or blankets are needed. On high mountains such as Mount Kenya and Mount Elgon that is shared with Uganda, weather is generally cold throughout the year.
The seasons of long rains in Kenya is from March/ April to May/June, the months of short rains are from October throughout November, it normally rains the most in the afternoons and nights and at times it may be heavy.
Due to changing climate, the pattern of rain is also changing and as a result, the rainy seasons are much longer and sometimes heavier causing floods. The dry months are much drier, shortening the drought cycle from every 10 years to annual occurrences resulting in severe droughts.
Although Kenya is centered at the Equator, it shares seasons mostly with the southern hemisphere except for the arid north. The warmest summer months are December – March and the coolest months are June – August with slight variation of 4 °C, though there are differences in temperatures varying with different locations within Kenya.
Kenya People & Culture
Kenya does not have a dominant culture but several cultures from different communities or tribes for Kenya’ culture, notable populations in Kenya include Swahili on the coast, various Bantu groups in central and western areas and Nilotic groups in the northwest.
The Maasai people, though they make up a very small portion of Kenya’s population are one of the most popular tribes most especially in tourism. The Masai people are known for their amazing culture and ornate jewellery and upper body decorations. Kenya as a country is thriving in theatre, television and Music culture.
In Kenya, there is a wide variety of linguistic groups from around Africa and well represented in Kenya’s population. Different languages in Kenya fall into 3 categories – Bantu (Niger – Congo) languages, the Nilo – Saharan group of languages known an Afro – Asian tongue spoken in the north. To add on to this mixture, Kenya is also a home to large populations of Europeans, Arabs, Indians and Pakistanis who are said to have come to Kenya around the 19th century, Facts About Kenya
Many Kenyan communities have also adopted westernized or Islamic forms of dress with their original tribal clothes, jewelry, body ornamentation and weaponry they keep for special occasions or celebrations. Communities in the arid and inaccessible north regions of Kenya have held unto their traditional culture and way of life compared to the rest.
Kenya’s Tourism
Kenya is one of the greatest safari destinations on the African Continent, Kenya has a total of 19 national parks and game reserves. In additional to wildlife, other attractions in Kenya include the scenery of the Great Rift Valley, golf courses, tea and coffee plantations, the scenic views of Mountain Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and the white sand beaches along the Indian Ocean especially in Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu with a variety of water sports and aquatic wildlife.
Eco- tourism, conference tourism, cultural and community tourism especially the famous Maasai people and sports tourism which has built Kenya into a rich tourism destination in Africa. Kenya is currently the second leading source of foreign exchange after agriculture.
Kenya has a tremendous geographic diversity supporting a remarkable variety of wildlife and nature protected in various national parks, sanctuary and reserves including Maasai Mara national reserve, Amboseli national reserve, Tsavo East and West, Samburu national reserve among others. These areas are a home to most if not all the members of the Big Five including lions, leopards, elephants, cape buffaloes and rhinos, Facts About Kenya
The best place for lion and cheetah sightings, the best place to visit is the Masai Mara national reserve which is among the top 5 reserves in Africa. Masai Mara national reserve is also a good place for leopard sightings and other less spectacular predators such as spotted hyenas, jackals and bat – eared fox. Amboseli national park is the best location in Africa and Kenya as well to observe elephant up close.
In Kenya, healthy populations of black and white rhinos can be seen in Tsavo West, Meru and Lake Nakuru national park. Laikipia Plateau is the second best spot to see rhinos in Africa after South Africa.
Other animals in Kenya include eland. Coke’s hartebeests, topi, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, impala, Masai giraffe, plains Zebra, warthogs, wildebeests among others.
In the period, from August and October, Kenya experiences the world’s largest migration of wildlife in the names of The annual Wildebeest migration in which millions of wildebeests and thousands of zebras and gazelles Migrate from Tanzania’s Serengeti national park to Masai Mara national reserve with Masai Mara river crossing.
In the more arid northern areas of Kenya most notably Samburu – Buffalo Springs support a diverse group of grazers including Beisa Oryx, lesser Kudu, Guenther’s dik – dik and the rare long – necked gerenuk, Facts About Kenya
Samburu – Buffalo Springs supports a diverse group of grazers including Beisa oryx, Lesser kudu, Guenther’s dik-dik, and the rare long-necked gerenuk. Samburu – Buffalo Springs is also a home to the critically endangered Grevy’s zebra – the world’s largest wild horse. The Grevy’s zebra has much narrower stripes than the more common plain zebra, the reticulated giraffe, a northern – only mammal has a more angular and eye- catching coast pattern than the Masai giraffe.
Kenya is a home to a diverse range of marine wildlife include the colorful reef fish living in the reefs off the coasts of Watamu, Malindi, Mombasa and Dinai. There are also Dolphins, whale sharks, marine turtles and Manta rays which are seasonal marine wildlife, Facts About Kenya
Kenya Birdlife
Kenya is one of the best places in the world for bird – watching in the Africa continent, Kenya has a national checklist of over 1,000 species and because of this, it is recognized among the top 15 countries in the world in terms of avian diversity.
Kenya has a variety of colorful and striking birds found across the country and a moderate bird can tick off 100 species in a day at several locations in Kenya most notably Lake Naivasha, Lake Baringo and Lake Nakuru.
The best sites to spot birds in Kenya include Kakamega Forest, Samburu – Buffalo Springs, Mount Kenya, the Rift Valley Lakes and the coastal forests around Watamu and be sure to spot over 350 species.
