coastline

536 km along the Indian Ocean.

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation Exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) Territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)

Climate
The climate of Kenya varies by location, from mostly cool every day, to always warm/hot The climate along the coast is tropical. This means rainfall and temperatures are higher throughout the year. At the coastal city Mombasa, the air changes from cool to hot, almost every day The further inside Kenya, the more arid the climate becomes. An arid climate is nearly devoid of rainfall, and temperature swings widely according to the general time of the day/night. For many areas of Kenya, the daytime temperature rises about 12 C (53.6 F), almost every day. Elevation is the major factor in temperature levels, with the higher areas, on average, as 11C (20F) Although Kenya is centered at the equator, it shares the seasons of the southern hemisphere: with the warmest summer months in February-March and the coolest winter months in July-August, although only a few degrees cooler On the high mountains, such as Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon and Kilimanjaro, the weather can become bitterly cold for most of the year. Some snowfall has occurred on the highest mountains.

Land use
8.01% of the land is arable. Permanent crops occupy 0.97% of the land. Other uses make up the rest of Kenya's land. (2005)

Irrigated land
1030 km of Kenya' land is irrigated.(2010)

Languages
there are a total of 69 languages spoken in Kenya. This variety is a reflection of the country's diverse population that includes most major ethnoracial and linguistic groups found in Africa Most languages spoken locally belong to two broad linguistic families: Niger-Congo (Bantu branch) and Nilo-Saharan (Nilotic branch), spoken by the country's Bantu and Nilotic populations, respectively. The Cushitic and Arab ethnic minorities speak languages belonging to the separate Afro-Asiatic family, with the Hindustani and British residents speaking languages from the Indo-European phylum. Kenya's various ethnic groups typically speak their mother tongues within their own communities. The two official languages, English and Swahili, are used in varying degrees of fluency for communication with

other populations. English is widely spoken in commerce, schooling and government Peri-urban and rural dwellers are less multilingual, with many in rural areas speaking only their native languages.

Regular food
There is no singular dish that represents all of Kenya. Different communities have their own native foods. Staples are maize and other cereals depending on the region including millet and sorghum eaten with various meats and vegetables. The foods that are universally eaten in Kenya are ugali, sukuma wiki, and nyama choma. Sukuma wiki, a Swahili phrase which literally means "to push the week," is a simple dish made with greens similar to kale or collards that can also be made with cassava leaves, sweet potato leaves, or pumpkin leaves. Its Swahili name comes from the fact that it is typically eaten to "get through the week" or "stretch the week." Nyama choma is grilled meat - usually goat or sheep. It is grilled over an open fire. It is usually eaten with ugali and kachumbari. As you move towards the city - food eaten by working families vary according to preference. Rice and stew is more common with working families and other dishes like Chapati (parantha), chicken stew, etc.

Religion
The predominant religion in Kenya is Christianity, adhered to by about four-fifths of the population. Other faiths practiced in Kenya are Baha'i, Hinduism, Islam, and traditional African religions.
Religion in Kenya[1]
religion percent

Christianity Islam No religion Indigenous Other

83% 11.2% 2.4% 1.7% 1.8%

Others
]Hinduism There is a significant number of Hindus living in Kenya. The numbers are estimated to be around 0.14% of the population. They are mainly located in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi, and other urban areas such as Mombasa, Eldoret, and Kisumu.

No Religion
In the 2009 Census, 922,128 people reported themselves as having "no religion." This is 2.4% of the total, making this group larger than the groups reporting themselves as traditionalists, Hindu or other religion. 61,233, 0.2%, reported that they did not know their religion.
]

Traditional African religions

African religions are typically based on natural phenomena and reverence to ancestors. The dead are presumed to merely transform into another state of being and capable of bringing good fortune or

calamity to the living. Most religious rites are therefore centred on appeasing the dead through sacrifices and proper burial rites. The dead's wishes must also be followed to the letter. Followers of traditional Kikuyu religion believe Ngai resides on Mt. Kenya and say their prayers facing the mountain. Followers of traditional Mijikenda religion have their holy shrines in the forests where they offer sacrifices and pray. The Maasai, Turkana, Samburu and Pokot tribes also have significant numbers of persons adhering exclusively to traditional African religions.

Music
Out of all the African countries, Kenya has perhaps one of the most diverse assortment of popular music [1] forms, in addition to multiple types of folk music based on the variety over 40 regional languages. Zanzibaran taarab music has also become popular, as has hip hop, reggae, soul, soukous, zouk, rock and roll, funk and Europop. There is also a growing western classical music scene and Kenya is home to a number of music colleges and schools.

Dress
Apart from the national flag, Kenya is yet to have a national dress that transcends the diverse ethnic divisions. With each of the more than 42 ethnic communities in Kenya having its own traditional practices and symbols that make it unique, this is a task that has proved elusive in the past. However, several attempts have been made to design an outfit that can be worn to identify Kenyans, much like the Kente' cloth of Ghana. The most recent effort was the "Sunlight quest for Kenya's National Dress". A design was chosen and though it was unveiled with much pomp at a ceremony in which public figures modeled the dress, the dress design never took hold with the ordinary people.

Masai mara
The Maasai Mara National Reserve (also spelled Masai Mara; known by the locals as The Mara) is a large game reserve in south-western Kenya, which is effectively the northern continuation of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is named after the Maasai people(the traditional inhabitants of the area) and their description of the area when looked at from afar: "Mara", which is Maa (Maasai language) for "spotted," an apt description for the circles of trees, scrub, savanna, and cloud shadows that mark the area. It is famous for its exceptional population of Big Cats, game, and the annual immense migration of zebra, Thomson's gazelle, and wildebeestfrom the Serengeti every year from July to October, known as the Great Migration.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is only a fraction of the Greater Mara Ecosystem, which includes the following Group Ranches: Koiyaki, Lemek, Ol Chorro Oirowua, Olkinyei, Siana, Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, and Kimintet.

Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is in Kajiado District, Rift Valley Province in Kenya. The park is 39,206 hectares (392 km2; 151 sq mi)[1] in size at the core of an 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The local people are mainly Maasai, but people from other parts of the country have settled there attracted by the successful touristdriven economy and intensive agriculture along the system of swamps that makes this low-rainfall area (average 350 mm (14 in)) one of the best wildlife-viewing experiences in the world with 400 species of birds including water birds, pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hammerkops and 47 types of raptor. [2] The park protects two of the five main swamps, and includes a dried-up Pleistocene lake and semi-arid vegetation. 140 kilometres (87 mi) South of the capital city Nairobi, Amboseli National Park is the second most popular national park in Kenya afterMaasai Mara National Reserve and the visit can easily be done in a weekend.

Tsavo national park

Tsavo East National Park is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya at 11,747 square kilometres. Opened in April 1948, it is located near the village of Voi in the Taita-Taveta District of Coast Province. The park is divided into east and west sections by the A109 road and arailway. Named for the Tsavo River, which flows west to east through the national park, it borders the Chyulu Hills National Park, and theMkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania.

Lake nakura
Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley soda lakes at an elevation of 1754 m above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenyaand is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park. The lake's abundance of algae attracts the vast quantity of flamingos that famously line the shore. Otherbirds also flourish in the area, as do warthogs, baboons and other large mammals. Black and white rhinoshave also been introduced. The lake's level dropped dramatically in the early 1990s but has since largely recovered. Nakuru means "Dust or Dusty Place" in the Maasai language. Lake Nakuru National Park, close toNakuru town, was established in 1961. It started off small, only encompassing the famous lake and the surrounding mountainous vicinity, but has since been extended to include a large part of the savannahs.

Lake Nakuru is protected under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands

David Sheldrick
Major David Leslie William Sheldrick, MBE (born 23 November 1919, Alexandria, Egypt died 13 June 1977, Nairobi, Kenya) was a Kenyan farmer and park warden, in memoriam to whom the eponymous David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) was created.

After Sheldrick's untimely death from a heart attack in 1977, aged 57, his widow, Dr. Daphne Sheldrick, established the DSWT in his memory. Among other activities the trust runs the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, next to the Nairobi National Park

Giraffe Centre
The Giraffe Centre is located at Langata, approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the centre of Nairobi, Kenya. It was established in order to protect the endangered Rothschild giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi, that is found only in the grasslands of East Africa. The Giraffe Centre was started by Jock Leslie-Melville, the Kenyan grandson of a Scottish Earl, when he and his wife Betty captured a baby giraffe to start a programme of breeding giraffe in captivity at their home in Langata - home of the present centre. Since then the programme has had huge success, resulting in the introduction of several breeding pairs of Rothschild Giraffe into Kenyan national parks. In 1979, Leslie-Melville added an education centre to his (then still private) giraffe sanctuary. By 1983 he had raised enough money to establish the Giraffe Visitor's Centre as a tourist destination in Nairobi. The main attraction for visitors is feeding giraffes from a raised observation platform. The centre is also home to several warthogs which freely roam the area along with the giraffes.

Nairobi walk
It is a showcase of Kenya's vast natural diversity. Nairobi Safari Walk provides visitor with an experience of Kenya's three eco-systems namely the savannahs, forests and wetlands. Located 7 Kilometers from Nairobi city, Nairobi Safari Walk gives visitor a clear picture of what to look forward to in Kenyan National Parks. Guests can walk along the raised boardwalk, through the different habitats and observe from close range the wonderful variety of wildlife in each eco-system. The raised wood walkways

provide souring views out over the shimmering stretches of savannah in the Nairobi National Park with observation points down onto waterhole's and the wildlife that frequent them. Meandering through 27 acres of wilderness, Nairobi Safari Walk offers a neatly encapsulated walking safari. The Safari walk is open every day from 8:30 am to 15:30 pm. Animals include: Antelopes and gazelles such as Bongo, Gazelle (Thomson's), Gnu (White-bearded) and Impala.Other ungulates and mammals include; Buffalo (Cape) and Warthog (Common). Carnivores include; Cheetah, Hyena (Spotted), Leopard and Lion.

Mombasa beach
The coastal city of Mombasa is one of Africas major tourist destinations, with some of the best beaches in the world. Located on Kenyas Eastern coastline bordering the Indian Ocean, Mombasa has become popular for its exotic beaches, diverse marine life, world-class hotels and friendly people

Lamu Beach
Lamu is a place like no other, a peaceful tropical island where life is lived at it's own relaxed rhythm, but a place whose history is as mysterious and fascinating as the winding streets of it's medieval stone town. The island itself is a beautiful place of rolling dunes and endless beaches, where tiny villages nestle among coconut and mango plantations and lateen sailed dhows ply the waters. But Lamu's real attraction is its Old town.

Malindi
Malindi beach is plunged in an exotic and luxuriant landscape 110kms North of Mombasa in an oasis of calm and beauty that overlooks the protected Malindi Marine Park . A Coral garden at the middle of this Park is a Sanctuary that preserves and protects a variety of Fish that swim in dazzling array including Sea Creatures, Flora and Fauna found in this area. The beach is secluded and thus an ideal destination for those seeking for solitude or a brilliant holiday as it is peaceful and away from the madding crowd. A fantastic walk around Malindi beach is a lovely way to relax and chill out as you hear the splashing on the beach making the atmosphere very relaxing.

Watamu beach
Watamu is a beach resort on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It lies on a small headland, between the Blue Lagoon and Watamu Bay. Its main industries are tourism and fishing. The nearest big town is Malindi to which it is connected by frequent matatu. The shoreline in the area features white sand beaches and offshore coral formations arranged in three bays: Watamu Bay, Blue Lagoon and Turtle Bay.

Lake victoria
Lake Victoria (Nam Lolwe in Luo) is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake. With a surface area of 68,800 square kilometres (26,600 sq mi), Lake Victoria is Africas largest lake by area, and it is the largest tropical lake in the world. Lake Victoria is the world's third largest freshwater lake by surface area (only Lake MichiganHuron and Lake Superior in North America are larger). In terms of its volume, Lake Victoria is the world's eighth largest continental lake, and it contains about 2,750 cubic kilometers (2.2 billion acre-feet) of water.

Lake bogoria
Lake Bogoria is a saline, alkaline lake that lies in a volcanic region in a half-graben basin south of Lake Baringo, Kenya, a little north of the equator Lake Bogoria is shallow (about 10 m depth), and is about 34 km long by 3.5 km wide, with a drainage basin of 700 km.

Lake tukana
Lake Turkana formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, with its far northern [1] end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. By volume it is the world's third-largest salt lake

Tana river
The 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) long Tana River is the longest river in Kenya, and gives its name to [1] the Tana River District. Its tributariesinclude the Thika, as well as several smaller rivers that flow only during the rainy season. Annual flow is above 5,000 Mm on average, but varies substantially both within and across years, and includes two flood seasons each year
3

Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro.
[4]

The

highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (5,199 metres (17,057 ft)), Nelion (5,188 metres (17,021 ft)) and Point Lenana (4,985 metres (16,355 ft)). Mount Kenya is located in central Kenya, just south of [4] the equator, around 150 kilometres (93 mi) north-northeast of the capital Nairobi. Mount Kenya is the source of the name of the Republic of Kenya.

Mount Elgon
Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, Uganda. It is the oldest and largest solitary volcano in East Africa, covering an area of around 3500 km The mountain is named after the Elgeyo tribe, who once lived in huge caves on the south side of the mountain
[3]

north of Kisumu and

west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within the country of