Kenya lies across the equator in east-central Africa, on the coast of the Indian Ocean. It is twice the size of Nevada. 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 corner is in the fertile Lake Victoria Basin; and a length of the eastern depression of the Great Rift Valley separates western highlands from those that rise from the lowland coastal strip.
Population
34,707,817 (growth rate: 2.6%); birth rate: 39.7/1000; infant mortality rate: 59.3/1000; life expectancy: 48.9; density per sq mi: 158
Land Area
219,788 sq mi (569,251 sq km); total area: 224,962 sq mi (582,650 sq km)
Monetary unit
Kenya shilling Language
English (official), Swahili (national), and numerous indigenous languages
Ethnicity Kikuyu 22%; Luhya 14%; Luo 13%; Kalenjin 12%; Kamba 11%; Kisii 6%; Meru 6%; other African 15%; Asian, European, and Arab 1%
Religion Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Islam 10%, others 2% (note: estimates vary widely)
Transportation Railways: total: 2,778 km (2002). Highways: total: 63,942 km; paved: 7,737 km; unpaved: 56,205 km (2000). Waterways: part of the Lake Victoria system is within the boundaries of Kenya. Ports and harbors: Kisumu, Lamu, Mombasa. Airports: 230 (2002).
