NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Republic of Kenya
former: British East Africa
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence until his death in 1978, when current President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but are viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December of 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI of the Democratic Party of Kenya defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania |
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Geographic coordinates:
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1 00 N, 38 00 E |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 582,650 sq km
water: 13,400 sq km land: 569,250 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than twice the size of Nevada |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km |
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Coastline:
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536 km |
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior |
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Terrain:
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low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m |
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Natural resources:
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gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 7.03%
permanent crops: 0.91% other: 92.06% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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670 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons |
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Environment - current issues:
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water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Geography - note:
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the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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31,138,735
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 41.1% (male 6,462,430; female 6,327,457)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 8,769,546; female 8,694,329) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 385,361; female 499,612) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.15% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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27.61 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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14.68 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: according to UNHCR, by the end of 2001 Kenya was host to 220,000 refugees from neighboring countries, including: Somalia 145,000 and Sudan 68,000 (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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67.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 47.02 years
female: 47.85 years (2002 est.) male: 46.2 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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3.34 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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13.5% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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2.2 million (2000 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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180,000 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1% |
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Religions:
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Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely |
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Languages:
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English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.1% male: 86.3% female: 70% (1995 est.) |