 Overview of Kenya
Kenya is an independent republic, occupying
an area of 582,646 km2 (roughly the size
of France). The population of the country
is approximately 30 million with over 40
ethnic groups. The National language is
Kiswahili and English is the official language
spoken at all levels.
The capital city
is Nairobi and Mombasa is the main port.
Kenya straddles the equator and is bisected
by the Great Rift Valley from North to
South.
The diverse and abundant wildlife
owes it very existence and uniqueness
to the country's terrain, which ranges
from snow covered peaks of Mount Kenya, to
Highlands, to Savannah, to the Great Rift
Valley and its lakes as well as the simmering
sands of the Coast. Each of these regions
are home to unique types of wildlife. For
ornithologists it has an amazing wealth
of birdlife. Kenya has 59 National Parks,
Game Reserve, Marine National Parks and Reserves.
The proper management of the game parks
is the hallmark of the country's conservation
measures and commitment to eco-tourism
as dramatically illustrated by the ivory
burning in 1989 by President Daniel Arap
Moi. Since then, the great fire has been
lit twice more to banish confiscated stocks
of poached rhino horn and ivory. Kenya
is a land where the world's remaining population
of big cats, big mammals and plains game
still roam free in their natural habitats. |
