Kenya obtained independence in December 1963 from the United Kingdom, but remained a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Kenya is now divided into 47 semi-autonomous counties, governed by elected governors.
Location & Size
Kenya is a country in Africa found in the East African region just below the horn of Africa with a coastline on the Indian Ocean. Kenya's territory lies on the equator and overlies the East African Rift, covering an expansive and diverse terrain that encompasses an area roughly from Lake Victoria to Lake Turkana and additionally to the south-east toward the Indian Ocean within which are savannah grasslands, Lakelands, mountain highlands and the dramatic Great Rift Valley. It is bordered by Uganda to the west, South Sudan to the north-west, Ethiopia to the north and Somalia to the north-east Tanzania to the south and south-west. Kenya covers 581,309 km2 (224,445 sq miles), and had a population of approximately 49 million people in January 2017.
Language & Tribes
The official languages in Kenya are English and Swahili but also Swahili doubles as the National Language. Kenya is ethnically diverse with a number of Ethnic groups namely the Kikuyu who are the majority followed by Luhya, Luo, Kalenjin, Kisii, Meru, and Foreigners in that specific order.
The capital, Nairobi, is also a regional commercial hub. Additionally, Kenya is a member of the East African Community trading organization.
Climate & Weather
Kenya has a warm and damp tropical climate on its Indian Ocean coastline. The climate is chiller in the savannah grasslands around the capital city, Nairobi; notably those nearer to Mt. Kenya, which is capped by snow all year round on its peaks. Further inland are highlands in Central and Rift Valley regions where tea and coffee are cultivated as cash crops which are major foreign revenue earners. In the West are Nyanza and Western regions, there is an equatorial, hot and dry climate which becomes humid around Lake Victoria, the largest tropical fresh-water lake in the world. This gives way to temperate and forested hilly areas in the neighboring western region. The north-eastern regions along the border with Somalia and Ethiopia are arid and semi-arid areas with near-desert landscapes.
Modern day Kenya
Kenya is known for its world class athletes in track and field, safaris visiting the Maasai Mara Reserve, well known for its annual wildebeest migrations. Thanks to its diverse climate and geography, expansive wildlife reserves and national parks such as the East and West Tsavo National Park, Amboseli National Park, Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru National Park, Aberdares National Park and white sand beaches at the Coastal region, Kenya is home to the modern safari and has several world heritage sites such as Lamu and a number of beaches, including in Diani, Bamburi and Kilifi, where international yachting competitions are held every year.
Culture in Kenya
Kenya's modern culture was born out of a myriad of sources and influences, both modern and traditional. Despite the many and varied influences that have shaped Kenyan society, the culture in Kenya has become truly and purely Kenyan. If there is any one thing about Kenya that gives any indication of this unique character today, it is the melding of traditional societies and culture with modern norms and values.
In Kenya it is possible to leave Nairobi - a city with a thriving central business district powered by the latest information technology - and drive in just a couple of hours to a place where life is lived in accordance with tradition and custom, where warriors armed with spears drive their cattle into thorn bush enclosures to protect them from lions at night. The modern and the traditional live side by side, and sometimes the boundaries between the two blur and merge.
The ease with which Kenyans adopt and adapt to new cultural influences has a long history. Kenyan culture is built on the acceptance and absorption of new and varied cultures, be they migrant nomads or sea-borne traders.The result is a culture of endless influence and yet one that is completely Kenyan in character.
Music
Kenya's music is varied. Nearly every tribe has its own musical culture. Drumming has been perfected by peoples like the Akamba from Eastern Kenya, and the coast Mijikenda. Traditional instruments - like the nyatiti lyre favoured by the Luo - are used too. The Luo have a distinctive musical style known as benga, which has become an integral part of popular Kenyan music, not just among the Luo.The Maasai and the Samburu have mastered the art of unaccompanied singing. Their sagas of conquest and prowess are sung in a series of throaty grunts, with each man singing part of the tune.There is a strong Congolese rumba influence in Kenyan popular music.A talented crop of youth artists, inspired by modern hip-hop, R&B, rap and reggae, blend these styles using Kenyan melodies, lyrics and rhythms.
Theatre/Cinema
Kenya particularly Nairobi theatre/ cinema is vibrant and entertaining. There is a lot you can do from performing arts to movie cinema halls as you laze in the city on a weekend. Also in 2002 Kenya was declared the winner for 'Best Film Location' in the 'Originality and Creativity' section of Annual Global Locations Expo in Los Angeles. Out of Africa, Born Free, To Walk With Lions, Mountains of the Moon, and the recent Oscar award-winning film Nowhere in Africa have all been shot on location in Kenya. In addition, Malooned has joined the list. With the latest achievement being Lupita Nyongo who is greatly talented with her latest block buster movie the she featured in Black Panther.
Cuisine
Eating out is not a national hobby, and only the Coast has developed a distinctive regional culinary style, this is due to centuries’ long exposure to the Indian Ocean trade thanks to Kenya’s long association with Indian Ocean trade. Kenya's cuisine mirrors the variety of its diverse cultural influences. Kenyan cuisine has a strong Indian influence, dating back to the 19th Century when Indian labour was used to construct the Mombasa-Kisumu railway and most international tastes are catered for.Traditional food has a tendency to be simple and starchy - practical eating! Ugali (maize meal cake) is the main staple, along with potatoes or rice. It is usually accompanied by chicken, beef, goat or vegetable stew, spinach, beans or fish. But also be sure to look out for a local dish knownas Githeri, a mixture of corn and beans cooked together. A nyama choma (mutton, goat or beef, roasted over glowing charcoal) feast is a typical Kenyan experience.Coast cuisine is a glee. Seafood including sea-perch, parrot-fish, red snapper, king fish, giant crayfish, jumbo prawns, crabs, oysters and sailfish is cooked with peppers, coconut, lime, and a numerous variety of exotic spices. Fresh fruit thus citrus, papaya, pineapples and mangoes - grow well in the coastal climate.In Kenya's major cities there are a glut of international restaurants namely Chinese, Italian, French, Japanese, Brazilian, American and Thai, to name just a few. Most Kenyans outside the coastal and eastern provinces are Christians of one sort or another, while most of those on the coast and in the eastern part of the country are Muslim. Muslims make up some 30% of the population. In the more remote tribal areas you'll find a mixture of Muslims, Christians and those who follow their ancestral tribal beliefs.
ATTRACTIONS & NATIONAL PARKS
Places to visit when in Kenya
KENYA SAFARIS PACKAGES
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