Quill's Quiz - 1100 Question US Mega Geography Quiz
Print this map Kenya US States and Capitals Map Quiz
Free Maps, Map Puzzles and Educational Software: Owl and Mouse Educational Software
Print this map Kenya US States and Capitals Map Quiz
Free Maps, Map Puzzles and Educational Software: Owl and Mouse Educational Software
Kenya takes its name from Mount Kenya, the second highest peak in Africa. Kenya lies on the equator, and covers part of the East African Rift. It is within the Rift Valley that the remains of homo habilis and homo erectus, including the famous Lucy, early ancestors of modern humans, were discovered. in Kenya. Native ironworkers and farmers settled along the coast to trade with others. The area was taken over by the Kilwa Sultanate in the 10th century CE. Under sultanate rule, the country traded with the Arab world, India, and Zanzibar, resulting in booming wealth, but also widespread slavery. In 1414, the sultanate opened up trade with the Chinese Ming dynasty.
Portugal was the first European power to arrive at the land, but it was Germany that made the country a protectorate in 1885, centuries later. Germany handed the coast over to Britain five years later. By 1930, thousands of white immigrants and their descendants had claimed land from the Kikuyu natives. The Mau-Mau rebellion against the British rulers, forced Britain to declare a state of emergency from 1952-1959 and Winston Churchill himself had to back a military proposal for large groups of soldiers, both African and white, to fight the rebels. The first elections open to Africans was in 1957. Independence was declared in 1963, immediately followed by a war with ethnic Somalis. Much later, in 2007, riots over an election killed thousands.
The country's highlands are some of the most productive and fertile areas in the world; major exports are tea, coffee, and fresh flowers. It is the home of the great wildebeest migration, which is considered a natural world wonder. Despite this abundance of natural resources, half the population lives in poverty. While female circumcision has been banned since 2011, the maternal mortality rate is still high due to those who are victims of this practice getting pregnant. Literacy in Kenya is at a high 85%.
Total area is 580,367 sq km
Total land area is 569,140 sq km
Population is 44,037,858
Portugal was the first European power to arrive at the land, but it was Germany that made the country a protectorate in 1885, centuries later. Germany handed the coast over to Britain five years later. By 1930, thousands of white immigrants and their descendants had claimed land from the Kikuyu natives. The Mau-Mau rebellion against the British rulers, forced Britain to declare a state of emergency from 1952-1959 and Winston Churchill himself had to back a military proposal for large groups of soldiers, both African and white, to fight the rebels. The first elections open to Africans was in 1957. Independence was declared in 1963, immediately followed by a war with ethnic Somalis. Much later, in 2007, riots over an election killed thousands.
The country's highlands are some of the most productive and fertile areas in the world; major exports are tea, coffee, and fresh flowers. It is the home of the great wildebeest migration, which is considered a natural world wonder. Despite this abundance of natural resources, half the population lives in poverty. While female circumcision has been banned since 2011, the maternal mortality rate is still high due to those who are victims of this practice getting pregnant. Literacy in Kenya is at a high 85%.
Total area is 580,367 sq km
Total land area is 569,140 sq km
Population is 44,037,858
