40 Amazing and Interesting Facts about Kenya | Amazing Facts 4U
Land & Geography
- Kenya is located in East Africa, on the equator.
- Kenya is officially known as the Republic of Kenya.
- The population of Kenya was estimated to be around 45 million.
- Kenya lies on the equator bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south-east and Tanzania to the south, Uganda on the west, South Sudan in the north-western part, Ethiopia to the north, and Somalia to the north-east.
- Kenya has 536 kilometers of coastline.
- The capital and largest city is Nairobi established in 1899. Mombasa is the second-largest city.
- Kenya is named after Mt Kenya, the tallest mountain in the country (5,199 meters, 17,057 feet).
Flora & Fauna
- Kenya features more than 50 national parks and wildlife reserves. Kenya’s highland forests are home to many animals found nowhere else in the world!
- Large animals such as lions, buffalo, leopards, elephants, and rhinoceros are present in Kenya.
- Each May after the rainy season, the Masai Mara is visited by a million migrating animals including wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle.
History
- Slavery is predominant in Kenya’s history. During the 1600s and 1700s, many Kenyans were kidnapped and taken as slaves by Arabs, Europeans, and Americans all over the world.
Places / Architecture
- Kenya shares Lake Victoria, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake, with Tanzania and Uganda.
- Kenya is home to two big lakes, Lake Turkana and Lake Victoria.
- Lake Turkana National Park & Mount Kenya national park are world heritage sites.
- The rift valley is known as ‘the cradle of civilization as it contains fossils of pre-human hominins dating back to 6 million years. Great Rift Valley has formed around 20 million years ago when the crust of the Earth was split. Mankind might have its origin here.
- Kenya’s port cities of Lamu, Malindi, and Mombassa were founded by Arab traders, and residents there still adhere to Islamic culture and clothing.
People Customs & Culture
- The two official languages in Kenya are English and Ki-Swahili. Ki-Swahili, the national language has a lot of words from Hindi and Urdu in their dictionary owing to deep Indian influence.
- In Kenya, more than 60 languages are spoken and there are more than 40 ethnic groups. The largest ethnic group is the Kikuyu representing 22% of the population.
- The main religion is Christianity and 82% of people are Christian.
- Kenyans consider coffee as an export product. The local favorites are tea and beer.
- Most Kenyans are either very poor or very rich. There is hardly any middle class.
- Kenyans are very well dressed people on all occasions.
- In Kenya, a child is brought up uniquely by the community and the society at large, and not just the family members alone making it easy for people to develop feelings of concern and helpfulness towards others.
- Whenever people meet, irrespective of whether they are acquaintances, they must greet each other, either through a raised hand, thumbs up, or even the use of the most common words, “Habari yako.”
- The Kenyans of Indian origin form the richest group of people owning everything from shopping malls, hotels, main industries, and shops to prime real estate.
- There are a lot of places in Kenya, which the local himself avoids owing to safety reasons. Nakuru is the theft capital of Kenya What it requires is a momentary lapse for you to lose your belongings including your car.
- Kenya has hardly any road-based public transport system. A matatu (a big van) is mostly operated by private players.
- On reaching the age of 18, a male belonging to the Masai tribe has to undergo circumcision. If he sheds a single tear, cries, or shouts during this event, he is banished forever from the community.
- A Masai boy has to kill a lion to become a man. Also, polygamy is the norm in all of Kenya’s tribes. The dowry for a man to pay to his bride’s family starts at 10 cows onwards.
- The amazing fact is that at a Masai wedding it is customary for the bride’s father to bless his daughter by spitting on her.
Politics/ Legal
- Kenya was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1920 until 1963 before gaining independence. Each year on 12 December, the country celebrates its Independence Day.
- Kenya gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1963.
- The most amazing thing about Kenyan politics is that parties are never meant to last which are often formed just to fulfill the ambitions of politicians, and once the elections are over, the parties are dissolved.
- The money used in Kenya is called the Kenya shillings.
- Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have an open roads policy meaning that vehicles of these 3 countries are allowed to drive on roads of all these countries provided they have the right papers.
- The corruption level is high. You can get away with anything by a bribe.
- The Kenyan law supports its women in all domestic matters without doubting it. If a man is hit by his wife and he complains, he is thrown into prison.
Economy & Corporates
- Hydroelectricity is the largest contributor to Kenya’s electricity supply.
- After coffee, Kenya’s biggest income generator is tourism.
Sports
- Kenya is best known for its middle-distance and long-distance runners, with the country frequently producing Olympic champions. Kenya’s Kalenjin tribe has been dubbed ‘the running tribe’ for its unbelievable ability to generate world record-breaking runners.
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