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History

The Republic of Kenya is located in East Africa, on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Kenya
borders Somalia to the east, Ethiopia to the north, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the
west, and Sudan to the northwest. In the north, the land is
arid; the southwest area is in the fertile Lake Victoria Basin;

The Republic of Kenya

Population:
42.7 million

Capital: Nairobi

Area: 582,646 sq
(224,961 sq miles)

Languages:
Swahili, English

and the Portuguese took control of the area in the early

Religion: Christianity

1500s. More than 40 ethnic groups live in Kenya. Its largest

Monetary unit: 1 Kenya


shilling = 100 cents

Main exports: Tea, coffee,


horticultural
products,
petroleum products

and a length of the eastern depression of the Great Rift


Valley separates western highlands from those that rise
from the plain coastal lands.
In the Great Rift Valley paleontologists have discovered
some of the earliest evidence of man's ancestors. They
believe people may first have inhabited Kenya about 2
million years ago.

km

In the 700s, Arabs established settlements along the coast,

group, the Kikuyu, migrated to the region at the beginning


of the 18th century. The land became a British territory in
1890 and a crown colony in 1920, called British East Africa.
The people began to stand against the governors in the

1940s, and in 1952 the Mau Mau movement,


made up of Kikuyu militants, rebelled against
the government. The fighting lasted until 1956.
On Dec. 12, 1963, Kenya achieved full
independence. Jomo Kenyatta, a nationalist

leader during the fight to win independence who had been jailed by the British, was its
first president.

Cultural aspects of Kenya


The

essence

of

this

country is the multi ethic


groups that form it. The
majority of the country's
population
diverse

belongs

Bantu

to

groups,

with a significant number


of Nilotes.
Cushitic peoples form a
small

ethnic

mostly
Oromo

minority,

represented
and

by

Somali

speakers.
Swahili and English are
official languages. Swahili
is obligatory in primary
education and, along with
English.

Ethnic groups:

Bantu: they are the largest population division in Kenya. The word Bantu refers to
people that speak south-central (NigerCongo) languages. Most Bantu are farmers.
Some of the prominent Bantu groups in Kenya include the Kikuyu, the Kamba, the
Luhya, the Meru, the Mijikenda and the Kisii. The Swahili people are descended
from Mijikenda Bantu peoples that married with Arab and Persian immigrants.

Nilotes: they are the second largest group of peoples in Kenya. They speak NiloSaharan languages and came to Southeast Africa by way of South Sudan. Most
Nilotes in Kenya are shepherds, and they have a reputation of been warrior. The
most prominent of these groups include the Luo, Maasai, the Samburu, the
Turkana, and the Kalenjin.

Cushitic: they are a small minority of Kenya's population. They speak Afro-Asiatic
languages, and originally came from Ethiopia and Somalia in Northeast Africa.
Most are shepherds and Muslim. Cushities are concentrated in the northernmost
North Eastern Province, which borders Somalia. The Cushitic-speaking peoples are
divided into two groups: the Southern Cushites and Eastern Cushite.

Minorities: Europeans, Indians and Arabs live in Kenya, are descends of the
colonies. Now they dedicate to commerce, mainly the Arabs and Indians, the
Europeans are the politics elite.

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