Kenya

Kenya is a beautiful country in East Africa, which is named after Mount Kenya. A couple of facts about Kenya:

  • Kenya is a beautiful country in East Africa, which is named after Mount Kenya
  • this mountain is situated in the center of the country, is the second largest mountain in Africa and one of the largest single mountains in the world
  • Kenya is situated on the equator and covers just under 583.000 km2
  • Kenya is bordered to the east by the Indian Ocean and sharing its borders with Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania
  • the capital of Kenya is Nairobi
  • Mombasa is one of the other five major cities of Kenya, with the main port on the Indian Ocean. (The city is located on an island of 15 km2, with suburbs on the mainland. It has an estimated population of 900,000 (officially 665 018, according to the census of 1999)
  • the Kenyan population consists of groups from across the continent. Kenya thus has more than 70 ethnic communities who speak almost 80 different dialects
  • the most famous population of Kenya is the Maasai, recognizable by the red dresses
  • English is the “official” language and Kiswahili is the ‘national’ language of Kenya
  • the majority of Kenyans are Christian, this because of the missionaries who brought the faith there
    • about 45% of the population is Protestant
    • 33% is Roman Catholic
    • 10% has an African Christian religion
    • around 10% is Muslim (which lives mostly in Mombasa)
  • the Kenyan currency is the Kenyan Shilling
  • the most famous national parks of Kenya are the Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo National Park and Lake Nakuru

A small impression of beautiful Kenya:

Kenya is one of the most beautiful African countries to go on safari. The country is well known for it’s many safari parks. The Masai Mara is mainly known for it’s annual big pull, or ‘the migration’. Large herds of animals such as wildebeest, gazelles and zebras, migrating though the Masai Mara to the Serengeti in Tanzania. From Nairobi it is also very easy to go on safari to the Serengeti.

Mombasa, also written as Mombassa, is Kenya’s second city and the capital of the province Pwani (Coast). The city is located in the extreme southeast of Kenya at the Indian Ocean. Pearl white sandy beaches and an aqua blue sea guarantee you wonderful days on the beach. Mombasa has a lot to offer in terms of tourist area tours and excursions. You can enjoy various water sports, there are zoos, African markets and plenty of souvenir shops. In Mombasa you can find some good restaurants in different price ranges. The blue seas are especially known to divers. During the diving season sea turtles, sharks, lobsters, corals and thousands of other species of fish can be admired.

      

Unfortunately Kenya also has another side:

  • in Kenya there are more than 250.000 street children
  • Kenya has a population of 46 million people, 40.9% of them are younger than 14 years
  • approximately 1.5 million people are carriers of the HIV/aids virus, including children
  • Kenya has a total of approximately 1.1 million aids orphans (an aids orphan is an orphan of whom both parents are deceased from (the consequences of) AIDS)
  • between 40% and 50% of the Kenyan population lives below the poverty line (poverty line is referred to as the income that a person needs to be able to cover basic needs)