Kenya – Cradle of Humanity

It’s believed that some of the very earliest humans lived in Kenya. That is why some people call it the “cradle of humanity.”
Kenya is an African country, a land of natural beauty. Kenya borders Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. The country has a southeastern coastline along the Indian Ocean. Kenya’s area is 582,488 square kilometers. Its official name is Republic of Kenya.
Nairobi is the capital of the country and its largest city. It was named after a watering hole that was in the area before the city was built. The Masai people called the watering hole Enkare Nairobi, which means “cold water.”
Lake Victoria (the largest lake in Africa) makes up part of Kenya’s western borders.

Mount Elgon is a volcano that no longer erupts.
The highest peak is Mount Kenya (5,199 meters).
The Tana is Kenya’s most important river. The Great Rift Valley has many lakes.
The Chalbi Desert is Kenya’s only terrain that is classified as a true desert.
Kenya’s wildlife safaris are world famous. Many tourists visit the country to see the wide range of wild animals. The country has set up more than 50 national parks and preserves to protect its wildlife. Nairobi National Park was the first park established in Kenya. The country’s animals include elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, leopards, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, impalas, hyenas, hippos, and crocodiles.

Flag of Kenya

Primary natural resources are coffee, tea, corn, vegetables, and livestock. Kenya has soda ash, salt barites, rubies, flavor spar, and minor deposits of gold.
In the 1800s Europeans arrived in the area and by the 1890s the British had taken control of Kenya. In 1920 they made it a British colony. The native people of Kenya began a rebellion in 1952. A group called the Mau Mau led the struggle, but the British stopped them in 1960. However, Kenya became an independent country in 1963. Jomo Kenyatta, a member of the Kenya African Nation Union, became the country’s first president on December 12, 1964. After Kenyatta’s death in 1978, Vice President Daniel arap Moi became the interim president. In 2002, a coalition of opposition parties ended the 24-year presidency of arap Moi. Mwai Kibaki became the country’s third president.