Kenya
Country in Eastern Africa / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Kenya), is a country in East Africa. A member of the Commonwealth with a population of more than 47.6 million in the 2019 census,[11] Kenya is the 28th most populous country in the world[6] and 7th most populous in Africa. Kenya's capital and largest city is Nairobi, while its oldest and second largest city, which until 1907 was also Kenya's first capital city, is the coastal city of Mombasa which includes Mombasa Island in the Indian Ocean and the surrounding mainland. Kisumu is the third-largest city and also an inland port in the Winam Gulf which, along with its numerous bays and human settlements, is one of the important maritime transport, fishing, farming, commercial, history and tourism hubs on Lake Victoria. As of 2020, Kenya is the third-largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and South Africa.[12] Kenya is bordered by South Sudan to the northwest, Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, Uganda to the west, Tanzania to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the southeast. Its geography, climate and population vary widely, ranging from cold snow-capped mountaintops (Batian, Nelion and Point Lenana on Mount Kenya) with vast surrounding forests, wildlife and fertile agricultural regions to temperate climates in western and rift valley counties and dry less fertile arid and semi-arid areas and absolute deserts (Chalbi Desert and Nyiri Desert).
Republic of Kenya | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "Harambee" (English: "Let us all pull together") | |
| Anthem: "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu" (English: "O God of all creation") | |
.svg) Show globe Show map of Africa | |
| Capital and largest city | Nairobi 1°16′S 36°48′E |
| Official languages | [1] |
| National language | Swahili[1] |
| Ethnic groups (2019 census)[2] | |
| Religion (2019 census)[2] |
|
| Demonym(s) | Kenyan |
| Government | Unitary presidential republic |
| William Ruto | |
| Rigathi Gachagua | |
| Amason Kingi | |
| Moses Wetangula | |
| Martha Koome | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| National Assembly | |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
• Dominion | 12 December 1963 |
• Republic | 12 December 1964 |
| 27 August 2010 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 580,367 km2 (224,081 sq mi)[3][4] (48th) |
• Water (%) | 2.3 |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 51,526,000[5] (28th) |
• 2019 census | 47,564,296[6] |
• Density | 82/km2 (212.4/sq mi) (124th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $333.1 billion [7] (66th) |
• Per capita | $6,569 [7] (140th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $118.1 billion[7] (66th) |
• Per capita | $2,269[7] (147th) |
| Gini (2015) |  40.8[8]medium |
| HDI (2021) |  0.575[9]medium · 152nd |
| Currency | Kenyan shilling (KES) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (East Africa Time) |
| Date format | dd/mm/yy (AD) |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +254 |
| ISO 3166 code | KE |
| Internet TLD | .ke |
According to the CIA, estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of mortality because of AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex, than would otherwise be expected.[10] | |
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Kenya's earliest inhabitants were hunter-gatherers, like the present-day Hadza people.[13][14] According to archaeological dating of associated artifacts and skeletal material, Cushitic speakers first settled in Kenya's lowlands between 3,200 and 1,300 BC, a phase known as the Lowland Savanna Pastoral Neolithic. Nilotic-speaking pastoralists (ancestral to Kenya's Nilotic speakers) began migrating from present-day South Sudan into Kenya around 500 BC.[15] Bantu people settled at the coast and the interior between 250 BC and 500 AD.[16] European contact began in 1500 AD with the Portuguese Empire, and effective colonisation of Kenya began in the 19th century during the European exploration of the interior. Modern-day Kenya emerged from a protectorate established by the British Empire in 1895 and the subsequent Kenya Colony, which began in 1920. Numerous disputes between the UK and the colony led to the Mau Mau revolution, which began in 1952, and the declaration of independence in 1963. After independence, Kenya remained a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The current constitution was adopted in 2010 and replaced the 1963 independence constitution.
Kenya is a presidential representative democratic republic, in which elected officials represent the people and the president is the head of state and government.[17] Kenya is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, COMESA, International Criminal Court, as well as other international organisations. With a GNI of 1,840,[18] Kenya is a lower-middle-income economy. Kenya's economy is the largest in eastern and central Africa,[19][20] with Nairobi serving as a major regional commercial hub.[20] Agriculture is the largest sector: tea and coffee are traditional cash crops, while fresh flowers are a fast-growing export. The service industry is also a major economic driver, particularly tourism. Kenya is a member of the East African Community trade bloc, though some international trade organisations categorise it as part of the Greater Horn of Africa.[21] Africa is Kenya's largest export market, followed by the European Union.[22]