WELCOME TO KENYA
WELCOME TO KENYAKenya is a multilingual country. Its official languages are Swahili and English. There are a total of 62 languages spoken in Kenya (according to Ethnologue), most being African languages with a minority of Middle-Eastern and Asian languages spoken by descendants of settlers. The African languages of Kenya come from three different language families - Bantu languages are spoken in the center and southeast, Nilotic languages in the west, and Cushitic languages in the northeast.
additional information from Wikipedia
01/05/09 by visitEarth
Kenya's 34,707,817 population includes most major ethnic and linguistic groups of Africa. Traditional pastoralists, rural farmers, Muslims, Christians, and urban residents of Nairobi and other cities contribute to the cosmopolitan culture. The standard of living in major cities, once relatively high compared to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, has been declining in recent years. Most city workers retain links with their rural, extended families and leave the city periodically to help work on the family farm. About 75% of the work force is engaged in agriculture, mainly as subsistence farmers. The national motto of Kenya is Harambee, meaning "pull together." In that spirit, volunteers in hundreds of communities build schools, clinics, and other facilities each year and collect funds to send students abroad.
The seven state universities enroll about 40,000 students, representing some 25 % of the Kenyan students who qualify for admission.
Ethnic groups are represented as approximately: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%.
additional information from Wikipedia
01/05/09 by visitEarth
At 224,961 square miles (582,646 sq km), Kenya is the world's forty-seventh largest country. From the coast on the Indian Ocean the Low plains rise to central highlands. The highlands are bisected by the Great Rift Valley; a fertile plateau in the east. The Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa. The highlands are the site of the highest point in Kenya (and the second highest in Africa): Mount Kenya, which reaches 5,199 metres (17,057 ft) and is also the site of glaciers. Climate varies from tropical along the coast to arid in the interior. Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m - 19,341 ft) can be seen from Kenya to the South of the Tanzanian border.
Kenya has considerable land area of wildlife habitat, including the Masai Mara, where Blue Wildebeest and other bovids participate in a large scale annual migration. Up to 250,000 blue wildebeest perish each year in the long and arduous movement to find forage in the dry season.[citation needed] The "Big Five" animals of Africa can also be found in Kenya: the lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros and elephant. A significant population of other wild animals, reptiles and birds can be found in the national parks and game reserves in the country. The annual animal migration - especially migration of the wildebeest - occurs between June and September with millions of animals taking part. It has been a popular event for filmmakers to capture.
Kenya has a tropical climate. It is hot and humid at the coast, temperate inland and very dry in the north and northeast parts of the country. There is however a lot of rain between March and May, and moderate rain in October and November. The temperature remains high throughout these months. The country receives a great deal of sunshine all the year round and summer clothes are worn throughout the year. However, it is usually cool at night and early in the morning.
The long rain season occurs from April to June. The short rain season occurs from October to December. The rainfall is sometimes heavy and often falls in the afternoons and evenings. The hottest period is from February to March and coldest in July to August.
additional information from Wikipedia
01/05/09 by visitEarth
Here's a great documentary look at a safari trip to the Masai Mara in Kenya, a continuation of the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. There's lots of well shot footage of cheetahs and lions and other African animals, all described with good voice over explanations by the host. My personal highlights are the cheetah jumping on the hood of the jeep about 2 minutes in, and the tiniest cheetah cub and its chirping call to the mother. There's also a good clip of the wildebeest migration, crossing the river about 6 minutes in. Overall a very enjoyable video, definitely worth a watch.
05/14/08 by visitEarth
Quite a poignant look at the Maasai Mara of Kenya and the animals of the Serengeti in Tanzania. Set as a tribe to the Swahilis, this video has some great images both of the Maasai people as well as great photos of a leopard, lion, zebras, wildebeest migration and giraffes. A little slow at times, but still very nice to watch.
02/11/08 by visitEarth
Search
XML Feeds
