MAJOR PHYSICAL FEATURES IN OUR COUNTY

Physical features are natural things we see on the surface of the earth ,They show how the land looks like.

 Rivers  Plateaus LAKES

 Lakes  Springs It is a large depression on the surface of the
 Mountains  Hills earth that is filled with water.
 Plains  Oceans Example of lakes
 Valleys  Sea  Lake magadi-Kajiado county
 Swamps  Natural forest  Lake Naivasha-Nakuru county
 Lake Victoria-Kisunu county
 Lake Nakuru- Nakuru county
 Lake Turkana –Turkana county
 Lake Bogoria and Baringo- Baringo county

River
A river is a natural flow of water in a valley .
 Rivers flow throughout the year are called permanent rivers
 Rivers flowing only during wet season are called seasonal rivers
 An area where the river starts is called a source
 Small streams that join the main river are called Tributaries
 A point where two or more rivers meet is called a confluence
 Where the river meets an ocean , sea ,lake or swamp is called a mouth
 HILLS
 It is an area that is higher than the surrounding land Hills are smaller
than mountains.
 Long chain of hills Is called ranges.

Example of hills
>Ngong Hills- Kajiado
>Shimba hills-Kwale
>Nyambene hills-Meru
>Mua Hills- Machakos
>Cherangani- Tranzoia
>Sergoit hills-Uasingishu
>Taita Hills-Taita taveta
>Nandi Hills- Nandi
>Hyrax Hills-Nakuru
>Abadare ranges- Nyandarua
> Lali Hills – Kilifi
>Karasuk-West Pokot
MOUNTAINS
 It is a large part of the earth surface that is much higher than its surrounding.
 There are three types of mountains
.>>Volcanic Mts .>> Block Mts .>> Fold Mts
 Examples Of mountains in Our Country

>> Mt Kenya, -Meru >> Mt Kulal - Samburu

>> Mt Elgon,- Bungoma >> Ndoto Mts- West Pokot
>> Mt Suswa, -Nakuru >> Songot Mts- Turkana
>> Mt Longonot-Nakuru
>> Mt Abardares , - Nyandarua
>>Mt Marsabit,- Marsabit
VALLEYS
 It is a depression between two areas that are high or raised
 Valleys that rivers flow through them are called Rivers valleys .

 The valley s can be formed through Faulting, and other are due
to river errossion.
>>Examples of Valleys :in our Country
>> The Great Rift Valley, >> Kerio Valley >> Suguta Valley,
>> Kedong Valley
 PLAINS
-These are flat, low-lying and gentle sloping regions.
 Larger part of our country are occupied by plains
>>Examples
_Maasai plains –Kajiado/narok
_Serengeti Plain –Tanzania
_Athi Plains-Machakos
_Lotikipi plains- Kajiado
_ Embakasi plain- Nairobi
 The largest plain in Kenya is the coastal plain.
> most of the plains are covered by grass, forming the grasslands
IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL FEATURES
 Source of water for domestic and
industrial use , eg rivers, lakes etc.
 Are home for wildlife eg forest.
 Source of water for irrigation.
 Tourist attraction.
 Used for transport.
 Clay collected at the river banks is used
for modeling.
 Rivers act as boundaries.
 Plains are good grazing grounds.
 Valleys are good for farming.