KENYA FACT FILE

Kenya is known as the ‘jewel of East Africa’. It boasts of some of the continent’s finest beaches, magnificent wildlife and scenery and sophisticated tourism infrastructure. It is a land of great beauty, which stretches from the coral reefs and white sand beaches at the coast to the summit of snow-capped Mount Kenya- crowned with clouds and the strange giant alpine plants.

With about ten percent of all its land designated as national parks and reserves, Kenya is a perfect place for safaris. It has over 50 parks and game reserves that cover all habitats from desert to mountain forest, and there are also six marine parks along the Indian Ocean.

Kenya is a multicultural society with a diversity of 40 different tribes all with their own languages and cultures. The largest group is the Kikuyu who live in the central highlands. At the coast, a mixture of African and Asian brings about the Swahili culture. This came as result of the trade across the Indian Ocean to Arabia and Persia by the use of dhows.

The people are friendly and the tourist trade is supremely well organized and professional. It is an ideal destination for little adventure during the holidays.

Kenya Geography

Kenya shares borders with Ethiopia in the north, Sudan in the northwest, Uganda in the west, Tanzania in the south and Somalia in the northeast. To the east is the Indian Ocean.

The country is divided into four regions:

1. The arid deserts of the north
2. The savannah lands of the south
3. The fertile lowlands along the coast
4. Highlands to the west