Excavations suggest that Kenya is the cradle of humanity, the home some three million years ago of Homo habilis, from whom Homo sapiens descended. In more recent times, Kenya was the settling place of a huge number of tribes from all over Africa, with a long history of migration and settlement. During the following centuries, the region became prosperous on the profits of trade, and also as an entry point for commerce from the Middle East and Asia.

Today, Kenya, regarded by many as the ‘jewel of East Africa’, has some of the continent’s finest beaches, most magnificent wildlife and scenery and an incredibly diverse culture. It is startlingly beautiful, from the coral reefs and white sand beaches of the coast to the summit of Mount Kenya, crowned with clouds and bejeweled by strange giant alpine plants. Between these two extremes is the rolling savannah that is home to game parks such as the Masai Mara, Tsavo and Nakuru; the lush, agricultural highlands with their sleek green coat of coffee and tea plantations; and the most spectacular stretch of the Great Rift Valley, the giant scar across the face of Africa. One-tenth of all land in Kenya is designated as national parks and reserves. Over 50 parks and reserves cover all habitats from desert to mountain forest, and there are even six marine parks in the Indian Ocean.

Kenya also has a fascinatingly diverse population with around 40 different tribes, all with their own languages and cultures. The major tribes include the Kikuyu from the central highlands, the Luyia in the northwest, and the Luo around Lake Victoria. Of them all, however, the most famous are the tall, proud, beautiful red-clad Masai, who still lead a traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle of cattle-herding along the southern border.

Please take the time to read through the following information about Kenya, especially if you’re trying to decide if it’s the right place for you.

The country is divided into four regions: the arid deserts of the north, the savannah lands of the south, the fertile lowlands along the coast and around the shores of Lake Victoria, and highlands in the west, where the capital Nairobi is situated. Northwest of Nairobi runs the Rift Valley, overlooked by Mount Kenya.

The climate of Kenya is as varied as its physical structure. Climatic conditions vary from the tropical humidity of the coast, through the dry heat of the northern plains, to the cool air of the plateau and mountains. Despite Kenya's equatorial position, Mt. Kenya is perpetually snow-capped. The coastal temperature averages 27°C (80°F), and the temperature decreases by slightly less than 2°C (3°F) with each 1,000 ft (305 m) increase in altitude. The capital, Nairobi, at 1,675 m, has a mean annual temperature of 19°C. The arid plains vary from 21°C to 27°C (70°F to 80°F). Most regions of the country have two rainy seasons, the long rains falling between April and June, and the short rains between October and December. Average annual rainfall varies from 5 inches a year in the most arid regions of the northern plains to 70 inches a year near Lake Victoria. The coast and highland areas have an average of 40 inches per year.

Kenya’s population is estimated to be around 32 million. Nearly all of Kenya’s people are black Africans. Arabs, Asians, and Europeans together constitute less than 1 percent of the population. The rate of population increase in Kenya between 1980 and 1990 was 3.4 percent, one of the highest in the world, but by 2003 the rate of increase had declined to 1.3 percent. In 2003 Kenya’s birth rate was estimated at 29 per 1,000 and its death rate at 16 per 1,000. The average life expectancy at birth in Kenya is 45 years. The high birthrate and low life expectancy have combined to give Kenya a young population: 50 percent of the people are younger than age 15. Kenya’s black African population is divided into more than 40 ethnic groups belonging to three linguistic families: the Bantu, the Cushitic, and the Nilotic.

During the 1950’s and 60’s, the anthropologist Louis Leakey discovered in Kenya the remains of hominids who lived around 2 million years ago. These are the remains of perhaps the earliest humans on earth. In the Kenya highlands, the existence of farming and domestic herds can be dated to 1000 B.C. Trade between the Kenya coast and Arabia was brisk by A.D. 100, and Arabs soon settled on the coast and established several autonomous city-states, including Mombasa, now Kenya’s second largest city.

The Portuguese first visited the Kenya coast in 1498, and by the end of the 16th century they controlled much of it, including Mombasa. In 1729, however, the Portuguese were permanently expelled from Mombasa and were replaced as the leading power on the coast by two Arab dynasties. From the early 19th century, there was long-distance caravan trading between Mombasa and Lake Victoria. By the mid-19th century, European explorers mapped parts of Kenya’s interior.

In 1903, the first settlers of European descent established themselves as large-scale farmers in the highlands. At the same time, Indian merchants moved inland from the coast. From the 1920’s to the 40’s, European settlers controlled the government and owned extensive farmlands, Indians maintained small trade establishments and were lower-level government employees and Africans, who grew cash crops such as coffee and cotton, were either subsistence farmers or laborers in the towns (especially Nairobi).

In the 1920’s, Africans began to protest their inferior status. Protest reached a peak in 1952 with the Mau Mau Emergency, a complex armed revolt which was a rebellion against British rule and an attempt to reestablish traditional land rights and ways of governance. The British declared a state of emergency and imprisoned many of the colony's nationalist leaders, including Jomo Kenyatta, who went on to become Kenya’s first president.

In 1963 Kenya won its independence, with Kenyatta as president. The first decade of independence was characterized by disputes among ethnic groups, economic growth and diversification, and the end of European predominance. More than 70 percent of the country was affected by the sub-Saharan drought of the early 1970’s and throughout the decade relations with neighboring countries deteriorated.

After Kenyatta's death in 1978, Vice President Daniel arap Moi succeeded him as president. Moi promoted the Africanization of industry by placing limits on foreign ownership and by extending credit to African investors. Domestically, he rejected demands for democratization and suppressed opposition. Throughout the 1980s, Moi consolidated power in the presidency and conducted periodic purges of his administration.

Rioting erupted in 1988 after several outspoken proponents of democratization were arrested. Bowing to pressure at home and abroad, in 1991 the government passed a constitutional amendment legalizing multiparty democracy. In 1992, Moi was reelected president in Kenya's first multiparty election in 26 years. Opponents denounced the election as fraudulent, and the government was subsequently accused of human-rights violations. Moi was reelected again in 1997, but the governing party lost several seats in parliament.

Forced under the constitution to retire, Moi engineered the nomination of Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's first leader, as his successor for president in 2002. Mwai Kibaki, who had run against Moi in 1992 and 1997 and once was his vice president, was the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) candidate and the most prominent of the four opposition candidates. The 2002 election, although not free of vote rigging, was the most credible multiparty election since independence. Kibaki was elected president with 62% of the vote, and his party won a majority of seats in the national assembly.

The Kenyan economy is largely agricultural– 75 percent of the population works on the land. The main cash crops are tea and coffee, although pyrethrum, sisal, sugar and cotton are also important. Kenya is one of the few African countries with a significant dairy industry. Hydroelectric plants meet 80 per cent of the country’s energy requirements. The remainder comes from imported oil, which is also used for one of the country’s principal industries, the manufacturing of petroleum-based products such as plastic and chemicals. Kenya, which has one of Africa’s largest manufacturing sectors, also produces cement, paper, drinks, tobacco, textiles, rubber and metal products, ceramics, and electrical and transport equipment. In the service sector, tourism is the largest industry and the country’s principal source of foreign income.

Most Kenyans place great importance on the family and the traditional values associated with it. Kenyan families tend to be large, and households often include many members of the extended family. Many of Kenya’s rural inhabitants live on small farms; some live in houses made of mud and wooden poles with thatched roofs, while others live in houses of brick or stone with metal roofs. A small number are nomadic livestock herders, notably some of the Masai people in the south and the Turkana in the north. City dwellers who are wealthy or middle class typically live in modern houses and apartment buildings; however, many other city dwellers live in shanty towns or other inexpensive quarters.

Music and Dance: Distinctive forms of music and dance are associated with each of Kenya’s ethnic groups, and traditional music has flourished since independence. Kenya also has a thriving industry in popular music, which combines Western and African influences.

Literature: Oral literature is the oldest form of literature in Kenya, and oral narratives continue to play an important role in the lives of most Kenyan communities. It was not until independence in 1963 that Kenya began to develop a national body of written literature. Since that time, Kenyan writers have produced literary works in English, Swahili, and various vernacular languages.

Theater: Prior to independence, Kenyan theater dealt mainly with European issues and followed the model of European theater. Since independence, drama focusing on African themes has developed in Kenya. In the 1970s the University of Nairobi’s traveling theater group began bringing plays to the country’s rural areas.

Libraries and Museums: Most of Kenya’s major libraries and museums are located in Nairobi. These include the McMillan Memorial Library; Memorial Library; the University of Nairobi Library; the Kenya National Archives, which includes a small museum; and the National Museum, which features historical and cultural exhibits. The museum at Fort Jesus in Mombasa, featuring archaeological and historical artifacts from the coast, is the most significant museum outside the capital.

Sports: Kenya’s most popular sport is soccer, and Kenyan runners have gained worldwide renown.

Fashion: The overwhelming majority of the Kenyan people dress in Western-style clothing; however, some rural Kenyans wear traditional vibrantly colored or patterned garb, such as the single piece of cloth—often bright red in color—worn by the Masai.

Kenya’s educational system, established in the 1980s to replace the system that existed under British rule, consists of eight years of primary school, four years of secondary school, and four years of higher education. Schooling is compulsory for 8 years. Primary education is nominally free in Kenya, but pupils must meet the cost of uniforms, books, supplies, and school-related fees. Examinations taken at the end of the 8th and 12th grades determine whether students will be admitted into high school and university.

Although 91 percent of school-age children attend the first years of primary school, factors such as cost, examination performance, and inadequate facilities eliminate large numbers from secondary and university education. The percentage of boys and girls attending school is roughly equal at the primary level, but the percentage of girls drops at the secondary level and again at the university level. Kenya has made great progress with adult literacy since independence. In 2003, 85 percent of the adult population was literate, although the rate was significantly higher for adult males (91 percent) than females (79.7 percent).

Kenya incredibly diverse vegetation includes forests of palm, mangrove, teak, and sandalwood trees along the Indian Ocean coast. Baobab, euphorbia, and acacia trees dot the lowland plateaus, while extensive tracts of savanna grassland, interspersed with groves of acacia and some temperate forests, characterize the terrain of the highlands up to about 3,000 m. The higher alpine zone contains giant senecio and lobelia shrubs.

Plant life aside, Kenya is best known for its incredible wildlife, particularly its big game animals. These include elephants, rhinos, hippos, zebras, giraffes, lions and other large cats. Most of these species are protected in national parks and game reserves. Birds, including ostriches, flamingos, and vultures abound in Kenya, as do reptiles such as pythons, mambas, and cobras. The annual migration of wildlife between Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya that takes place between June and September is a favorite with wildlife lovers. The migration of almost two million wildebeest, zebras and other species is one of nature's greatest spectacles.

Kenya’s national dishes appear on most menus. The country’s beef, chicken, lamb and pork are outstandingly good, as are the wide variety of tropical fruits. Indian and Middle Eastern food is available in most areas. Some game-park lodges serve game. Dinner or lunch provides the opportunity to eat zebra, giraffe, impala, wildebeest, crocodile and other game meats. Waiters bring the skewers straight from the fire to the table, and the meat is sliced onto pre-warmed, cast iron plates. Most Kenyans eat maize, beans and maize meal. It is common to find chai (tea boiled with milk and sugar) and mandazi (doughnuts) are popular. Locally brewed beer (Tusker and White Cap) and bottled sodas may be found throughout the country. Traditional beer made with honey (uki) and locally made spirit distilled from maize (changaa) may sometimes be found.