The Country of Kenya

Kenya is located on the eastern coast of Africa. It is approximately 224,960 miles squared and is about the same size as Texas. Kenya had five main geographical regions: Lake Victoria Basin, northern semiarid desert, eastern plateau forelands, Rift Valley and other highlands, and coastal areas. Kenya has two rainy seasons and has an average of 80oF along the coast. There is a tropical climate on the coast and an arid climate in the interior. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and other major cities include Mombasa, Lamu, and Kisumu. Major landforms in Kenya are the Great Rift Valley (fissure 4,000 miles long), Kenyan Highlands, and two major mountain ranges. The major ranges are Mau Escarpment in the West and Aberdare Range in the East. The highest mountain in Kenya and also the second highest mountain in the world is Mount Kenya at 17,058 ft high. There are seven provinces of Kenya and they are Central, Coast, Eastern, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western and they have one area called Nairobi Area. The bodies of water in Kenya are Lake Turkana and Lake Victoria.

The history of Kenya is like other African countries because they had ivory that European countries wanted. In the 19th century, Christian missionaries arrived from Europe, the Berlin Conference divided Africa into spheres of influence, and in 1890 Kenya was declared a British protectorate. In 1893, coffee was introduced to Kenya. In the 1920 Kenya was declared a British colony but from 1952-1956 a state of emergency was declared in response to the Mau Mau rebellion against the British. After the rebellion, in 1963, Kenya gained their independence from Britain. A year later Kenya became a republic and Wilson Kipurgut wins the first Olympic medal for ...

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...r races. There are many public holidays in Kenya that are either religious occasions or anniversaries of important dates. The most important social occasions are those that are age-related and the great celebration comes at the time of circumsion, which marks a boy’s entrance into manhood. There national holidays are Madaraka Day (June 1), Uhuru Day (December 12), Kenyatta Day (October 20), and Moi Day (October 10). The Christian and Islamic holidays are Christmas, Easter, Id al-Fitri and Id al-Adha. Also the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad or Maulidid is celebrated. The not public shows include the Kenya International Air show, Ferodo Concours d’Elegance, Mombasa’s street carnival, and Lamu’s annual donkey race. Although Kenya has some of the most fertile farmland in Africa, the food is limited. There preferred diet is based on beans, lentils, and corn.