The Republic of Kenya (pronounced /ˈkɛnjə/) is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia (north), Somalia (northeast), Tanzania (south), Uganda plus Lake Victoria(west), and Sudan (northwest). Kenya has numerous wildlife reserves, containing thousands of animal species. The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya’s population of nearly 39 million is diverse – with more than 40 different ethnic groups represented. The country is named after Mount Kenya, a significant landmark and second among Africa’s highest mountain peaks.
The coastal region was dominated by Arabs until it was seized by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The Maasai people held sway in the north and moved into central Kenya in the 18th century, while the Kikuyu expanded from their home region in south-central Kenya. The interior was explored by European missionaries in the 19th century. After the British took control, Kenya was established as a British protectorate (1895) and a crown colony (1920).
The Mau Mau rebellion of the 1950s was directed against European colonialism. In 1963 the country became fully independent, and a year later a republican government under Jomo Kenyatta was elected. In 1992 Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi allowed the country’s first multiparty elections in three decades; however, the government continued to be marked by corruption and mismanagement. Opposition leader Mwai Kibaki was elected president in 2002 and pledged to fight corruption, but it continued to affect the country’s economic and political credibility.
Kenya is a diverse country. Notable peoples include the Swahili on the coast, pastoralist communities in the north, and several different communities in the central and western regions. The Maasai culture is well known due to tourism, despite being a minor percentage of the Kenyan population. They are renowned for their elaborate upper body adornment and jewelry.
Kenya has an extensive music, television and theatre scene.
About 75% of Kenyans are engaged in farming, largely of the subsistence type. Coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sisal, and pyrethrum are grown in the highlands, mainly on small African-owned farms formed by dividing some of the large, formerly European-owned estates. Coconuts, pineapples, cashew nuts, cotton, and sugarcane are grown in the lower-lying areas. Much of the country is savanna, where large numbers of cattle are pastured. Kenya also produces dairy goods, pork, poultry, and eggs. The country’s industries include food processing, flour milling, horticulture, and the manufacture of consumer goods such as plastic, furniture, batteries, clothing, and cigarettes. Petroleum is refined and aluminum, steel, and building materials are produced. Industrial development has been hampered by shortages in hydroelectric power and by inefficiency and corruption in the public sector, but steps have been taken to privatize some state-owned companies.
The chief minerals produced are limestone, soda ash, gemstones, salt, and fluorospar. Kenya attracts many tourists, largely lured by its coastal beaches and varied wildlife, which is protected in the expansive Tsavo National Park (8,034 sq mi/20,808 sq km) in the southeast.
Kenya’s chief exports are tea and coffee; fluctuations in their world prices and periodic droughts have tremendous economic impact. Petroleum products, flowers, and fish are also exported. The leading imports are machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, and plastics. Major trading partners are the United States, Great Britain, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates. Kenya’s population growth continually exceeds the rate of economic growth, resulting in large budget deficits and high unemployment. The country’s well-developed transportation system has suffered from neglect in recent years.
Notes from Wikipedia and Answers.com
