Kenya Tourism - Travel to Kenya

Flag

Quick Facts
Capital	Nairobi
Government	republic
Currency	Kenyan shilling (KES)
Area	total: 582,650 sq km water: 13,400 sq km land: 569,250 sq km
Population	31,138,735 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)
Language	English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Religion	Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim 10%, other 2% note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely

Kenya is a country in Eastern Africa. Its Indian Ocean coast lies between Somalia to the north east and Tanzania to the south. Its other surrounding countries are Ethiopia and Sudan to the north and Uganda to the west.

Regions in Kenya

Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 area*;

Central,
Coast,
Eastern,
Nairobi Area*,
North Eastern,
Nyanza,
Rift Valley,
Western

Cities in Kenya

Nairobi

Ports and harbors

Other destinations - Travel to Kenya

The Rift Valley

Map of Kenya

Understand Kenya Tourism

Kenya is a former british colony.

Fossils found in the Rift Valley are of significant scientific interest. It is believed that this area of Africa is the source of the ancestors to the human race.

Get into Kenya

Travel to Kenya By Plane

Travel to Kenya By Train

Travel to Kenya By car

Travel to Kenya By Bus

Travel to Kenya By Boat

Get around in Kenya

Kenya Talk

Buy

Eat - Travel to Kenya

Drink

Sleep - Kenya Tourism

Learn

Work

Stay safe - Kenya Tourism

Stay Healthy While You Travel to Kenya

Respect

Contact

External Links for Kenya Tourism

This article is still a stub and needs your attention. Plunge forward and help it grow!

The rest of this article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real aTRAVELdirectory country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and integrate it.

Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but are viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December of 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI of the Democratic Party of Kenya defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform.

Geography in Kenya

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 582,650 sq km
water: 13,400 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Coastline: 536 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m
Natural resources: gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 7.03%
permanent crops: 0.91%
other: 92.06% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 670 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons
Environment - current issues: water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching
Geography - note: the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value

People in Kenya

Population: 31,138,735
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.1% (male 6,462,430; female 6,327,457)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 8,769,546; female 8,694,329)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 385,361; female 499,612) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.15% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 27.61 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 14.68 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: according to UNHCR, by the end of 2001 Kenya was host to 220,000 refugees from neighboring countries, including: Somalia 145,000 and Sudan 68,000 (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 67.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 47.02 years
female: 47.85 years (2002 est.)
male: 46.2 years
Total fertility rate: 3.34 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 13.5% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2.2 million (2000 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 180,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan
Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%
Religions: Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely
Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.1%
male: 86.3%
female: 70% (1995 est.)

Government in Kenya

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa
Government type: republic
Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution: 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, and 2001
Legal system: based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center

Economy in Kenya

Economy - overview: Kenya, the regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, is hampered by corruption and reliance upon several primary goods whose prices continue to decline. Following strong economic growth in 1995 and 1996, Kenya's economy has stagnated, with GDP growth failing to keep up with the rate of population growth. In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems, causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output. As a result, GDP contracted by 0.3% in 2000. The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1%, and Kenya is unlikely to see growth above 2% in 2002. Substantial IMF and other foreign support is essential to prevent a further decline in real per capita output.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $31 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 24%
industry: 13%
services: 63% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 50% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 37% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 45 (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 10 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 75%-80%
Unemployment rate: 40% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.91 billion
expenditures: $2.97 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.)
Industries: small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products processing; oil refining, cement; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: -0.7% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 4.616 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 22%
hydro: 70%
other: 8% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 4.433 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 140 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Exports: $1.8 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement
Exports - partners: UK 13.5%, Tanzania 12.5%, Uganda 12.0%, Germany 5.5% (2000)
Imports: $3.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics
Imports - partners: UK 12%, UAE 9.8%, Japan 6.5%, India 4.4% (2000)
Currency: Kenyan shilling (KES)
Currency code: KES
Exchange rates: Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 78.597 (January 2002), 78.563 (2001), 76.176 (2000), 70.326 (1999), 60.367 (1998), 58.732 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 310,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 540,000 (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize except for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001)
Radios: 3.07 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 8 (2002)
Televisions: 730,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ke
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 65 (2001)
Internet users: 500,000 (2002)

Transportation in Kenya

Railways: total: 2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge
note: the line connecting Nairobi with the port of Mombasa is the most important in the country
Highways: total: 63,300 km
paved: 8,940 km
unpaved: 54,360 km (2001)
Waterways: NA
note: part of the Lake Victoria system is within the boundaries of Kenya
Pipelines: petroleum products 483 km
Airports: 231 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 19
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 211
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 113
under 914 m: 83 (2002)

Transnational Issues in Kenya

Disputes - international: since colonial times, Kenya's administrative boundary has extended beyond its treaty boundary into Sudan creating the "Ilemi Triangle"; arms smuggling and Oromo rebel activities prompt strict border regime with Somalia
Illicit drugs: widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status as a regional financial center, massive corruption, and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities

Kenya Tourism - Travel to Kenya

Partner Sites: