About Kenya
The Republic of Kenya, located in Eastern Africa is regarded by many as the ‘cradle of humanity'. An exotic travel destination, Kenya offers some of world's most diverse landscapes ranging from magnificent wildlife parks, picturesque beaches, unforgettable mountain ranges, dense jungles and vast deserts. With one-tenth of Kenya occupied by national parks and game reserves, thousands of tourists come to Kenya for safaris (meaning "journey" in KiSwahili). Kenya is home to the “Big 5” – Elephants, Lions, Leopards, Buffalos and Rhinos, which are the most popular animals to scout during safaris. If you chose to participate on a Safari, you will undoubtedly see and learn about many of these animals.
Official Name: The Republic of Kenya
Capital: The capital of Kenya is Nairobi. Nairobi is also the largest city in Kenya with a population of over 2.5 million people.
Location: Kenya is located on Africa 's East coast. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the North, Somalia to the East, Tanzania to the South, and Sudan to the Northwest. The Indian Ocean lies on Kenya 's Southeast border.
Size: Kenya is the 56 th largest country, by geographical size, in the world. It occupies 582,650 square kilometers.
Climate: Kenya has a wide range of climates. The coastal areas are typically hot and humid while Kenya 's inland experiences temperate conditions. Kenya 's North and Northeast regions are hot and dry. There are two rain seasons in Kenya : from April to June and from October to December.
Population: Kenya 's total population is 36,913,721 which makes it the 36 th largest country in the world.
Life expectancy at birth: Kenya has a low life expectancy at birth at 55.31 years making it the 184 th highest life expectancy in the world.
Major illnesses: The major diseases in Kenya are bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, malaria, and schistosomiasis. 6.7% of Kenya 's population has HIV or AIDS. This is the 17 th highest AIDS/HIV prevalency rate in the world.
Languages: Kenya has two official languages: English and Kiswahili. There are also numerous indigenous languages and dialects used. Kenya 's literacy rate (those who can read or write) for citizens over 15 years of age is 85.1%.
Religion: Kenya 's main religions are Protestant (45%), Roman Catholic (33%), Muslim (10%), and indigenous beliefs (10%).
Government: Kenya is a presidential representative, democratic republic.
Head of State: The current head of state is President Mwai Kibaki.
Head of Government : The current head of government is Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Economy : Kenya is East Africa 's regional hub for trade and finance but it's economy has been held back by corruption and reliance on several primary goods whose prices have remained low. Per capita income is USD $1,200. Kenya 's main industries are petroleum products, grain and sugar milling, cement, beer, soft drinks, textiles, vehicle assembly, paper and light manufacturing, and tourism.
GDP: Kenya 's GDP, in purchasing power parity terms, was USD $57.65 billion or an official GDP of $29.5 billion in 2007, which amounts to a GDP per capita of USD $1,600. Real GDP growth for 2007 was 6.3%.
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