Kenya (kĕn'yə, kēn'–) , officially Republic of Kenya, republic (2005 est. pop. 33,830,000), 224,960 sq mi (582,646 sq km), E Africa. Kenya is bordered by Somalia on the east, the Indian Ocean on the southeast, Tanzania on the south, Lake Victoria (Victoria Nyanza) on the southwest, Uganda on the west, Sudan on the northwest, and Ethiopia on the north. Nairobi is the capital and largest city.

Land and People

The country, which lies astride the equator, is made up of several geographical regions. The first is a narrow, coastal strip that is low lying except for the Taita Hills in the south. The second, an inland region of bush-covered plains, constitutes most of the country's land area. In the northwest, straddling Lake Turkana and the Kulal Mts., are high-lying scrublands. In the southwest are the fertile grasslands and forests of the Kenya highlands. In the west is the Great Rift Valley, an irregular depression that cuts through W Kenya from north to south in two branches. It is also the location of some of the country's highest mountains, including Mt. Kenya (17,058 ft/5,199 m). Kenya's main rivers are the Tana and the Athi. In addition to the capital, other important cities include Mombasa (the chief port), Nakuru, Kisumu, Thika, Machakos, and Eldoret.
People of African descent make up about 97% of the population; they are divided into about 40 ethnic groups, of which the Bantu-speaking Kikuyu, Luhya, Kalenjin, Kamba, and Gusii and the Nilotic-speaking Luo are predominant. Small numbers of persons of Indian, Pakistani, and European descent live in the interior, and there are some Arabs along the coast. The official languages of Kenya are Swahili and English; many indigenous languages are also spoken. About two thirds of the population is Christian, while a quarter follows traditional religious beliefs; the remainder are Muslim or Hindu. Among Kenya's institutions of higher education are the Univ. of Nairobi, Kenyatta Univ., Egerton Univ., and Moi Univ.

Economy

The great majority of Kenyans are engaged in farming, largely of the subsistence type. Coffee, tea, sisal, pyrethrum, corn, and wheat are grown in the highlands, mainly on small African-owned farms formed by dividing some of the large, formerly European-owned estates. Coconuts, pineapples, cashew nuts, cotton, sugarcane, sisal, and corn are grown in the lower-lying areas. Much of the country is savanna, where large numbers of cattle are pastured. Kenya also produces dairy goods, pork, poultry, and eggs. The country's leading manufactures include consumer goods such as plastic, furniture, textiles, cigarettes, and leather goods; refined petroleum; processed food; cement; and metal products. Industrial development has been hampered by shortages in hydroelectric power and inefficiency and corruption in the public sector; however, steps have been taken to privatize some state-owned companies. The chief minerals produced are limestone, soda ash, gold, salt, and fluorospar; there are also deposits of titanium. Kenya attracts many tourists, largely lured by its coastal beaches and varied wildlife, which is protected in the expansive Tsavo National Park (8,034 sq mi/20,808 sq km) in the southeast.
Kenya's chief exports are tea and coffee; fluctuations in their world prices have tremendous economic impact. The leading imports are machinery, transportation equipment, consumer goods, and petroleum and petroleum products. Major trading partners are the United Kingdom, Uganda, Tanzania, and the United Arab Emirates. Kenya's population growth continually exceeds the rate of economic growth, resulting in large budget deficits and high unemployment. The country's well-developed transportation system has suffered from neglect in recent years.

Government

The Kenyan government is headed by a president, who is popularly elected for a five-year term. Its constitution dates from independence (1963), and has been amended several times. The Bunge, the unicameral national assembly, consists of 222 members, 210 of whom are elected and 12 of whom are appointed by the president. The legal system is based on English, tribal, and Islamic law. The Kenya African National Union (KANU) dominated the government from independence until 2002. The country is divided into seven provinces and the Nairobi capital area.

History

Early History to Independence
During the 1950s and 60s, the anthropologist L. S. B. Leakey discovered in N Tanzania the remains of hominids who lived c.2 million years ago. These persons, perhaps the earliest humans on earth, most likely also inhabited S Kenya. In the Kenya highlands, the existence of farming and domestic herds can be dated to c.1000 B.C. Trade between the Kenya coast and Arabia was brisk by A.D. 100. Arabs settled on the coast during medieval times, and they soon established several autonomous city-states (including Mombasa, Malindi, and Pate). Farmers and herders traveled S from Ethiopia and settled in Kenya in c.2000 B.C. There is also evidence that Bantu-speaking people and Nilotic speakers from the S Sudan settled in Kenya between 500 B.C. and A.D. 500.
The Portuguese first visited the Kenya coast in 1498, and by the end of the 16th cent. they controlled much of it, including Mombasa. However, in 1729, the Portuguese were permanently expelled from Mombasa and were replaced as the leading power on the coast by two Arab dynasties: the Busaidi dynasty, based first at Masqat (in Oman) and from 1832 on Zanzibar, and the Mazrui dynasty, based at Mombasa. The Busaidi wrested Mombasa from the Mazrui in 1837. From the early 19th cent. there was long-distance caravan trading between Mombasa and Lake Victoria.