Terrain

Kenya can be divided into four well-defined topographical regions: the coastal lowland, which is densely covered in tropical vegetation as a result of regular rain; the scarcely-populated and dry central part; the arid highland plateau in the extreme west of the country; and the mountainous region which is where the country's highest peak, Mount Kenya (5,199 m), is located.

Kenya's mountainous region is on the eastern edge of the Central African Rift and is characterized by a temperate climate because of its altitude and volcanic, fertile cropland areas, which makes it the country's most-densely populated area and economic centre. Kenya's most important rivers are the Tana and the Athi-Galana. Almost all of Lake Turkana (formerly called Lake Rudolf) and a small part of Lake Victoria are located in Kenya.

Climate

The equator runs right through the middle of the country. North of the equator the climate is hot and relatively dry. The region to the south can be divided into three zones: the coastal area is humid, with average annual temperatures that range between 24.4°C in June and July and around 27.8°C between February and April; the climate in the highlands is moderate; and the climate around Lake Victoria is tropical. The rainy season is from October to December and from April to June.

Fauna/Flora

Palms, mangroves, teak trees, and sandalwood trees grow in the forests along the coastline. Baobabs, spurge and acacias grow in the lowlands up to an altitude of around 900 m. Savannah is typical of the vegetation at altitudes between 900 and 2,700 m.

Camphor trees and bamboo are characteristic of the dense rain forests on the eastern and south-eastern slopes. Kenya is renowned for its fauna, particularly because of the big mammals in the savannahs. Some of the most common are elephants, rhinoceroses, zebras, giraffes, lions and other big cats. Although most of these animals enjoy the protection of national parks and wildlife reserves, poachers have greatly reduced the number of big mammals such as elephants and rhinoceroses. Kenya is also the habitat of numerous species of bird and many reptiles.

History/Politics

Due to the discovery of the oldest human remains, Kenya is considered to be the "Cradle of Mankind". Little is known about the country's early history, other than that Arab traders were the first to explore the region in the 7th century. They established trading ports and went on to found the prosperous city of Malindi in the 10th century.

After Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India in 1498, the Portuguese tried to monopolize all sea trade on the Indian Ocean. Despite fierce resistance from the local population, they managed to do so until they were forced to retreat in 1698. The actual European colonization of Africa started in 1880. Frequent tribal conflicts, famines and diseases weakened the supremacy of the Kenyans and paved the way for the British to establish a colony.

Indigenous tribes showed resistance and were finally forced to leave their ancestral lands when they had to retreat to the south of the country. European immigrants settled there in their place and claimed the majority of arable land. Nationalist movements developed in favour of independence after the First World War. Following World War II, conflict between European settlers and the indigenous population increased, eventually leading to the establishment of a radical party called "Mau-Mau". By the late 1950s, Mau-Mau was organizing attacks on European settlers and their estates, resulting in outright massacres. Although the Mau-Mau revolt was crushed, Great Britain decided to give Kenya its independence in 1963 and it became a republic in 1964.

Jomo Kenyatta, political leader of the fight for independence and the founder of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) became the first president. He remained in office until his death in 1978, when he was succeeded by Daniel T. Arap Moi.

In 1982, KANU was declared the only legitimate party, so as to prevent parties from forming on the basis of ethnic origin. Moi, the only candidate for the presidency, was re-elected in 1983, although he abolished the one-party system in 1991 whilst he was in office. Despite the opposition's accusations of fraud, Moi was re-elected in the 1997 multi-party elections for a fifth term in office (he said this would be his last term in office). Mwai Kibaki won the presidential elections in 2002, which was the first time that a candidate of the opposition won the presidential elections since the country gained its independence in 1963.

Economy

Kenya used to have a stable economy, but it suffered greatly in the nineties. The capacity for growth was hindered by drought, political unrest, and the worldwide economic recession in the first half of the decade. The government did not implement reforms to avoid further unrest; it has mainly concentrated on stabilising the economy.

Major exports are coffee, tea, and horticultural products. Pyrethrum, an insecticide made from Chrysanthemums, is one of Kenya's most important export crops. Livestock breeding and the cultivation of maize, wheat, manioc, and sugar cane are the main agricultural activities. Tourism has also become economically important. In 2003, the unemployment rate was 40% and the inflation rate was 3.6%.

Culture

Home-made drums and guitars are often used to accompany dances in rural areas. The music style known as "benga" is the most popular form of contemporary dance music. It originated among the Luo people of western Kenya and became popular in the area in the 1970s and 1980s. Benga was originally a dance rhythm played on the lyre and accompanied by a drum. It was adapted to the acoustic guitar in the 1950s. A multitude of regional musical styles and traditions can be found outside big towns. The songs are generally sung in one of the numerous languages of the Kenyan ethnic groups.