Kenya

Discover something about Kenya with our fun facts, and make use of our Kenyan flag printables, maps and worksheets.

Migration of wildebeest to Masai Mara

A Little Geography

• The Republic of Kenya, a modern democracy of 44 million people, lies along the equator on the east of Africa.
• Kenya is bordered by Tanzania to the south and south-west, Lake Victoria and Uganda to the west, South Sudan to the north-west, Ethiopia to the north and Somalia and the Indian Ocean to the east.
• Kenya is a country with diverse landscapes - from the tropical Indian Ocean coast, ancient rift valleys and rainforest, to the glaciers on Africa's second highest mountain, Mount Kenya.
• Mount Kenya is the country’s highest peak, at 17,058 feet (5,199 metres).
• The tallest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, is located near the border of Kenya and Tanzania and can be viewed from Kenya, but falls entirely within Tanzanian soil.
• The rift valley is known as 'the cradle of civilisation' as it contains fossils of prehuman hominins, which date back 6 million years.
• Each May after the rainy season, the Masai Mara is visited by a million migrating animals including wildebeest, zebra and gazelle.
• The capital, Nairobi, is the most populous city in East Africa and has the world's only wildlife park near the centre of a city.

A Little History

• Archaeologists have discovered primitive axes and tools in Kenya's Rift Valley dating back an incredible 1.7 million years, probably developed by Homo erectus, an ancestor of modern humans. The first human settlements became established around 3000 years ago. 
• Between 500 BC and 500 AD, Bantu people came from the west and south and Nilotic tribes from the north-west settling in Kenya to cultivate the fertile land. The Bantu ethnic group is the largest ethnic community in modern Kenya.
• Kenya's port cities of Lamu, Malindi and Mombassa were founded by Arab traders around 700 AD. Residents today still adhere to Islamic culture and clothing. The Swahili language began to evolve from a mixture of Bantu and Arabic.
• Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach Kenya 1498, and the Portuguese took power from the Arabs and settled on the coast of Kenya for 2 centuries, bringing new crops such as maize.
• During the Berlin Conference of 1885,  European nations divided Africa among themselves. Britain was allocated the East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa), an area in the African Great Lakes occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya. 
• In 1895 the British built a railway across the region. This brought more settlers into Kenya, and many natives were forced onto reservations.
• In 1920 the protectorate became a British colony and was officially named Kenya after the tallest mountain.
• A rebel movement against colonial rule was formed in 1952 called the Mau Mau, and a state of emergency was declared in Kenya. By the end of 1956 the uprising was over, but the movement towards independence had begun.
• Kenya finally became independent on 12th December 1963, and joined the Commonwealth in 1964.

And Some Interesting Facts

• The Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, outside Nairobi, looks after orphan elephants and rhinos, so they can return to the wild.
• Kenyans speak Swahili, which comes from the Arab word for coast, 'sahel'. The word for journey is 'safari', which all tourists should experience in Kenya.
• Tea and flowers are the major exports.
• Kenya's rugby team were the African champions in 2013 and came fourth in the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Nairobi's central business district

About the Kenyan Flag

The flag of Kenya has horizontal stripes of black, red and green which each have a strip of white between them. In the centre of the flag, there is a red, black and white Maasai shield with two crossed spears behind it. This design was officially adopted in December 1963. The black colour in the flag represents the black majority of the population, the red is for the blood shed during the fight for independence, the green represents the land, and the white stripes dividing up the colours are for peace and honesty. The Maasai shield and spears protect everything that the flag represents.

Flags and Other Printables