Kenya occupies
an Area of 582,644 sq kilometers[225,000 sq
miles] and bisected lengthwise by the GREAT
RIFTVALLEY which runs from Jordan in the North
to Mozambique in the South.With its snowcapped
Mt.Kenya ,500 kms of Golden sandy beaches with
warm Indian Ocean waters,breathtaking landscapes
and sceneries of open plaines and hilly terrains
not forgetting the rich and divers Beauty of
its culture, History and archaelogical sites,wildlife
and friendly people who offer warm hospitality
with a wide smile.Cuisine from all over the
world can be found in Kenya.
Kenya is the land of discoveries whose attractions
have been accorded undoubtedly the seal of approval
by royalties,presidents,celebrities and millions
of holiday makers worldwide. With its superb
network of attractive national parks, game reserves
and marine parks,kenya is undoutbfully the ultimate
dream destination of a Holidaysmaker.
Kenya offers
the best combination of attractions in the World.
With outstanding hotels and game lodges a visitor
is guaranteed great value for money. Kenya's
prolific and well conserved wildlife cannot
be found anywhere in the world ,this is where
the world remaining big cats, big mammals, and
plains game still roam freely in natural habitats.Your
safari in kenya will be full of memories that
you will treasure for the rest of your life.Most
visitors begin their safari of discovery in
kenya and end it in kenya.After all, safari
was born in Kenya.
History
Mankind originated in the plains of Kenya and
neighbouring Tanzania. Much later up the pre-historic
ladder, the land was inhabited by the hunter-gather
San, or Bushmen, who wandered here from the
south. These were eventually edged outby tall
nomadic pastoralists from Ethiopia. Later still,
between 500 BC and 500 AD - the smaller, darker
Bantu farmers arrived on the scene. Almost a
thousand years later Arab traders arrived, and
the fusion of their language and that of the
indigenous people led to the birth of Swahili
language. Mombasa became a key trading centre
and so a prize for the Portuguese in the 16th
century who, between 1593 and 1598, built Fort
Jesus. Some 100 years later the Arabs ousted
the Portuguese, and held sway until the arrival
of the British in the early 19th century, who
briefly established Mombasa as a "protectorate"
before abandoning it, once more, to Arab domination.
Growing British opposition to the Arab slave
trade kept Kenya in the political spotlight
and in the "scramble for Africa" by
European powers towards the end of the 19th
century, Kenya became a British colony.
A railway was
built to run from Mombasa on the coast to the
interior. From the camps of thousands of workers
a city grew up; Nairobi was put on the map.
Against all physical odds, the railway was eventually
extended to the shores of Lake Victoria. A wonderful
engineering feat it may have been, but the building
of the railway caused the first feeling of anxiety
and discontent amongst the African population,
who felt their tenure on their land was threatened.
But uprisings were ruthlessly put down and the
African's worst fears of dispossession were
realised as white settlers arrived to farm the
territory.
Resentment festered
and the Kikuyu people, in particular, organised
themselves to resist white domination, under
the leadership of Jomo Kenyatta. In the inter-war
years, Kenyatta made two abortive trips to London
to present the African case. After World War
II the nationalist movement grew stronger, and
in the early 1950's the secret society, the
Mau Mau, was formed. Proscibed in 1952, its
activities led to colonial government imposing
a State of Emergency from 1952-1959. Kenyatta
was im¬prisoned on a charge he always denied
of managing the Mau Mau. The Mau Mau uprising
led to the death of 13,500 people, mainly Africans.
Independence
finally arrived on the stroke of midnight on
December 12, 1963, and Kenyatta was inaugurated
as the first Prime Minister, becoming the first
president when Kenya be¬came a republic
a year later. The father of the nation died
on August 22, 1978, an event which triggered
intense mourning. He was succeeded by Daniel
arap Moi, who survived a coup attempt in 1982.
A one-party state, introduced 10 years later.
In 1992 Kenya became a multiparty state to date,
the current president is Hon. Mwai Kibaki.
Geography
Covering an area of nearly 600,000 sq. km.,
Kenya's landscapes are characterised by their
diversity. The country's most notable feature
is the Great Rift Valley, that huge geological
channel carved down the backbone of Africa.
More than half of Kenya is desert, broken intermittently
by hillsand mountains, such as Mount Kenya.
But it is also a land of lakes and rivers and
lush forests. The Kenya Highlands, a well-watered,
central plateau, is where most of the population
and the best farmland is to be found.
Climate
Although Kenya is on the Equator, the climate
and temperatures depend on altitude and proximity
to the sea.The coastal region has a tropical
climate and is hot and humid except during July
and August. Inland, however, the days are usually
warm, sunny and with low humidity. In highland
areas nights can be quite cold, especially during
July and Au¬gust, when the skies may be
overcast. The long rains occur from the end
of March to the end of May and the short rains
from November to mid-December. During this time,
rain is not continuous, but falls periodically,
interspersed by bright intervals