Kenya enjoys a tropical climate. It is hot and humid at the coast, temperate inland and very dry in the north and northeast parts of the country. There is however a lot of rain between the months March and May.The temperature does remain high throughout these months.
The country receives a great deal of sunshine all the year round and summer clothes are worn throughout the year. However, it is usually cool at night and early in the morning.
The long rain season occurs from April to June. The short rain season occurs from October to December. The rainfall is sometimes heavy and often falls in the afternoons and evenings. The hottest period is from February to March and coldest in July to August.
The annual migration occurs between June and September with millions of wildlife taking part. It has been a popular event for filmmakers to capture.
The shilling (ISO 4217 code: KES, also often used KSh) is the currency of Kenya. It is divisible into 100 cents. As the Kenyan shilling is the most stable and strongest currency in east Africa, it is used outside the country mostly in unstable places like Somalia and southern Sudan and is favoured over the local currency.
Kenya covers an area of 582,646 square kilometres.
The land stretches from the sea level (Indian Ocean) in the east, to 5,199 meters at the peak of the snow-capped Mount Kenya. From the coast, the altitude changes gradually through the coastal belt and plains (below 152 metres above sea level), the dry intermediate low belt to what is known as the Kenya Highlands (over 900 metres above sea level).
The monotony of terrain in the low belt is broken by residual hills, masses of broken boulders and inselbergs. Settlement is confined to places where water can be found. Wildlife are masters of the greater part of the low belt. The famous Amboseli Game Reserve and Tsavo National Parks are situated here.
The Great Rift Valley bisects the Kenya Highlands into east and west. Mount Kenya is on the eastern side. The Highlands are cool and agriculturally rich. Both large and small holder farming is carried out in the highlands. Major cash crops are tea, coffee, pyrethrum, wheat and corn. Livestock farming is also practised.
The Lake Victoria Basin is dominated by Kano plains which are suited for farming through irrigation. The northern part of Kenya is plain and arid. Pastoralism is the main land use activity. However, a variety of food crops do well through irrigation.
Kenya is located approximately 8-10 hours flying time from major European cities, and about 16-20 hours flying time from North American cities.
Palaeontologists have discovered many fossils of prehistoric animals in Kenya. At one of the rare dinosaur fossil sites in Africa, two hundred Cretaceous theropod and giant crocodile fossils have been discovered in Kenya, dating from the Mesozoic Era, over 200 million years ago. The fossils were found in an excavation conducted by a team from the University of Utah and the National Museums of Kenya in July–August 2004 at Lokitaung Gorge, near Lake Turkana.
Fossils found in East Africa suggest that primates roamed the area more than 20 million years ago. Recent finds near Kenya's Lake Turkana indicate that hominids such as Homo habilis (1.8 and 2.5 million years ago) and Homo erectus (1.8 million to 350,000 years ago) are possible direct ancestors of modern Homo sapiens and lived in Kenya during the Pleistocene epoch. In 1984 one particular discovery made at Lake Turkana by famous palaeoanthropologist Richard Leakey and Kamoya Kimeu was the skeleton of a Turkana boy belonging to Homo erectus from 1.6 million years ago. Previous research on early hominids is particularly identified to Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey, who are responsible for the preliminary archaeological research at Olorgesailie and Hyrax Hill. Later work at the former was undertaken by Glynn Isaac.
1 Jan New Year's Day.
10 Apr Good Friday.
13 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labour Day.
1 Jun Madaraka Day.
10 Oct Moi Day.
21 Sep Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan).
20 Oct Kenyatta Day.
28 Nov Feast of the Sacrifice.
12 Dec Independence Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.
Kenya is a country of great ethnic diversity. Most Kenyans are bilingual in English and Swahili, also a big percentage speak their mother tongue of their ethnic tribe.
Ethnic groups
Kikuyu 23%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 11%, Kamba 10%, Kisii 6%, Meru 5%, Maasai 1.8%, Turkana 1.5%, Embu 1.2%, other African (including Somali, Taita, Swahili, Samburu, Pokomo, Giriama, Rabai, Duruma, Chonyi, Digo, Kauma, Orma, Oromo Wasanye, Wanyoyaya, Borana, Rendille, El Moran, Malakote, Teso, Gabra, Ndorobo) 15%, non-African (Asian/Desi, Anglo-African/European, and Arab) 1%.
Capital: NAIROBI
Population: about 31,500,000
Area: 582,646 km2
Time zone: +2 h compared to Italy, +1 h when Italy have daylight saving time.
Languages: English, Swahili.
Religions: Christian 60%, indigenous beliefs / followers of traditional religions 28%, Muslims 10%, other 2%.
Italiano
English