Geography

Area: 580,367 sq. km. (224,080 sq mi.); slightly smaller than Texas.

Cities: Capital--Nairobi (pop. 2.9 million; 2007 est.).
Other cities--Mombasa (828,500; 2006 est.), Kisumu (650,846; 2005-6), Nakuru
(1.3 million; 2005-6), Eldoret (193,830; 1999).

Terrain: Kenya rises from a low coastal plain on the Indian Ocean in a series of
mountain ridges and plateaus which stand above 3,000 meters (9,000 ft.) in the
center of the country. The Rift Valley bisects the country above Nairobi,
opening up to a broad arid plain in the north. Highlands cover the south before
descending to the shores of Lake Victoria in the west.

Climate: Tropical in south, west, and central regions; arid and semi-arid in the
north and the northeast.



People

Nationality: Noun and adjective--Kenyan(s).

Population (July 2009 est.): 39 million.

Major ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%,
Kisii 6%, Meru 6%.

Religions: Christian 80%, Muslim 10%, traditional African religions 9%,
Hindu/Sikh/Baha'i/Jewish 1%.

Languages: English (official), Swahili (national), over 40 other languages from
the Bantu, Nilotic, and Cushitic linguistic groups.

Education: First 8 years of primary school are provided tuition-free by the
government. In January 2008, the government began offering a program of free
secondary education, subject to some restrictions. Attendance--92%
for primary grades. Adult literacy rate--74%.

Health: Infant mortality rate--57.4/1,000. Life expectancy--55.3
yrs (2007 est.).



Government

Type: Republic.

Independence: December 12, 1963.

Constitution: 1963.

Branches: Executive--president (chief of state, commander in chief
of armed forces), prime minister (head of government), and two deputy prime
ministers. Legislative--unicameral National Assembly (parliament).
Judicial--Court of Appeal, High Court, various lower and special
courts, includes Kadhi (Sharia) courts.

Administrative subdivisions: 140 districts, joined to form 7 rural provinces.
The Nairobi area has special provincial status. The government has gazetted 37
new districts. The process of establishing these districts is ongoing.

Political parties: Over 40 registered political parties. Two coalitions, the
Party of National Unity (PNU) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), dominate
the political party scene. PNU membership is filled by parties representing
Kikuyu and closely related ethnic groups; ODM membership ranks are filled by
parties representing nearly everybody else. PNU and ODM agreed in February 2008
to form a grand coalition government in a power-sharing arrangement that ended
the political crisis erupting after disputed national elections in December
2007.

Suffrage: Universal at 18.



Economy

GDP (2008 est.): $30 billion.

Annual growth rate (2008): 1.7%.

Gross national income per capita (2008): $770 (Atlas Method).

Natural resources: Wildlife, soda ash, land.

Agriculture: Products--tea, coffee, sugarcane, horticultural
products, corn, wheat, rice, sisal, pineapples, pyrethrum, dairy products, meat
and meat products, hides, skins. Arable land--5%.

Industry: Types--petroleum products, grain and sugar milling,
cement, beer, soft drinks, textiles, vehicle assembly, paper and light
manufacturing.

Structure of economy (% of GDP): Services--59.5%; industry
and commerce--16.7%; agriculture--23.8%.

Work force: Formal sector wage earners--1.95 million (public sector
30%; private sector 70%). Informal sector workers--6.4 million.

Trade (2008): Exports--$4.4 billion: tea, coffee, horticultural
products, petroleum products, cement, pyrethrum, soda ash, sisal, hides and
skins, fluorspar. Major export markets--Uganda, United Kingdom,
Tanzania, Netherlands, United States, Pakistan. Imports--$9.9
billion: machinery, vehicles, crude petroleum, iron and steel, resins and
plastic materials, refined petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, paper and paper
products, fertilizers, wheat. Major suppliers--United Arab
Emirates, India, China, South Africa, Japan.