Location
Kenya lies astride the equator on the east coast of Africa between the
5° S and 40° S parallels, covering a total land area of 582,000 sq. km
(which includes 13,600 sq. km of inland lakes). Its western border touches
the 34°E longitude. It is bordered in the north by Ethiopia and the Sudan,
in the west by Uganda, in the south by Tanzania, and in the east by Somalia
and the Indian Ocean. The country rises from sea level at the Coast to
altitudes of 5,lOOm (Mt Kenya). It takes 4 hours to get from Johannesburg
to Nairobi and then takes an hour to fly from Nairobi to Mombasa.
Local Time: Kenya is 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time(GMT)
Population
The population of Kenya is approximately 27 million with a growth rate of 3.6%. Ethnic groups include Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%,Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6% ,other African 15% and non-African people (Asian, European and Arab), comprise only 1% of the population.
Climate
The variations in altitude and terrain create contrasts in climate. The Coast is hot and often humid, mornings in the central highlands can be cold, whilst in the north and northeast the days are dry and very hot. In the areas most frequented by visitors the weather is little short of perfect, it is neither hot nor cold with long sunny days. Days and nights are of almost the same length throughout the year, with the sun rising between 6 and 6.30 am, and setting before 6.30 and 7 pm. Over most of the country there are two rainy seasons. The "short rainiest normally occur from late October through November, s and the long rains' from late March through to early June. July and August are the coolest months. The days are often overcast, especially in the.mornings. Kenya is an all weather tourist destination. Very few, if any, tourist roads become impassable. The parks are fresh and green, and there are fewer people and vehicles visiting them. Accommodation is often much cheap during the low season which coincides with the long rains.
Language
Though English is the official language, Kiswahili is the national language.
Both are taught in schools throughout Kenya, and are widely spoken. In
addition there are many indigenous languages, of which the main ones are
Kikuyu , Luo, and Kamba .
