Kenya is one of probably the most well-liked tourist destinations in Africa. But Kenya is not just mud huts, rolling grasslands and savamfaho there are also snow-capped mountains, high-rise cities and hot, humid beaches. Actually, its scenery is as diverse as its individuals and wildlife.

Kenya straddles the Equator in East Africa, spreading inland from the Indian Ocean to Lake Victoria and Uganda. The hot and humid coastal city of Mombasa is really a busy port from exactly where most Kenyan and Ugandan exports are shipped. North and south of this are tropical sand-y beaches. Inland, central Kenya is covered by huge flat plains that gradually rise in altitude towards the highlands within the west.

The climate on the plains is very dry and hot, particularly in the north near the Ethiopian border where conditions are desert-like. Simply because of this, much of central Kenya is uninhabited. A few nomadic tribes, such as the Masai, raise cattle about the plains, while big tracts from the remaining land are set aside for wildlife reservations. The most well-liked parks with tourists on safari are Amboseli, Nairobi, Masai Mara and Tsavo, exactly where antelopes, elephants, giraffes, lions and zebras have space to roam freely.

It’s a living

Most of Kenya’s population is crowded into the cooler highlands in the south-west of the country. Here, extinct volcanoes form a chain of mountains running parallel towards the Rift Valley. Africa’s second highest mountain, Mount Kenya, dominates the horizon, and its glittering glaciers supply a stark contrast towards the sweltering heat from the plains. About the mountains’ lower slopes farmers cultivate the land. Numerous own smallholdings and grow potatoes, cereal grains, beans, sisal and peanuts for their personal use. Larger farms grow tea and coffee for export.

The only other arable land in Kenya is discovered along the coastal belt and within the tropical lowlands close to Lake Victoria. Nearly 75% from the population live in these fertile rural areas, and numerous have large families with at least six children. Increasing population levels are placing much more strain about the government. Funding the totally free primary school education is especially difficult as over 50% of the population are now under 15 years old.

Kenya’s primary sources of income are from tourism and the export of agricultural produce and manufactured products. Busy industrial centres are based in the capital Nairobi and nearby Thika. Imported crude oil is refined into petroleum products, and cement and textiles are made from local materials.