July 2022 GCBC: Kenya Social Studies, History, and Landmarks

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Facts About Kenya

Kenya Basic Facts

• Kenya is located in East Africa on the Indian Ocean.
• Bantu Swahili and English are its official languages.
• The capital of Kenya is Nairobi.
• Most Kenyans live in the highlands near the capital of Nairobi.
• Money: Kenya Shilling
• Population: 48,397,527
• Kenya borders 5 countries.
• Kenya’s climate along the coast is tropical. Further inland, it varies from hot to cool, even in the same day.
• About 70% of the country practices Christianity, and about 25% practice indigenous religions.
• The primary industries are consumer goods, agriculture (tea and coffee), and tourism.
• Music and storytelling are important in Kenya. Families often use music to pass on beliefs and tales.
• Kenya has more than 50 reserves to protect its animals.
• Kenya was a British colony from 1920-1963.
• Some scientists think Kenya and Tanzania might have been the original birthplace of humans.
• During the 1600s and 1700s, many Kenyans were tied up and taken as slaves by Americans, Europeans, and Arabs. East Africans were taken to many countries because of slavery.
• The equator runs through Kenya.
• Lake Victoria, the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world, is partially in Kenya (it’s also in Tanzania and Uganda).
• Kenya is named after Mount Kenya, the highest mountain in the country.

Fun Facts About Kenya

Video About Kenya

History of Kenya

Due to Kenya’s location between the Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria, people from all over Africa and the Middle East have traveled and traded across it for centuries. This has created a diverse culture with many ethnic groups and languages.

The bones of one of the earliest human ancestors ever found were discovered in Kenya’s Turkana Basin.

Slavery is a big part of Kenya’s history. During the 1600s and 1700s, many Kenyans were kidnapped and taken as slaves by Arabs, Europeans, and Americans. By the mid-19th century, slavery was outlawed by most countries, but by then, thousands of Kenyans and other East Africans had been enslaved in countries throughout the world.

Map of Kenya

Color in Kenya on this map!

Kenya Flag Activity

Flag from HERE

HERE is a fun printable Kenya flag coloring sheet!

Famous Kenya Landmarks

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Masai Mara is Kenya’s most popular game reserve. It is a large area of wilderness where animals such as lions, cheetahs, elephants, leopards, zebras, wildebeests, and hippos can live safely.. It’s in southwestern Kenya near Tanzania and continues into Serengeti National Park. It’s an area through which the Great Migration passes, an annual journey of wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, and other game animals to move due to availability of grazing.

Featured Important Kenyan Person: Wangari Maathai

Professor Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan Environmentalist and Human Rights Activist. She was the first African woman to receive the very prestigious Nobel Peace Prize of 2004. Maathai has fought very hard, even against oppressive regime, to ensure a sustainable environment and better quality for women and the citizens of Kenya.

In her acceptance speech for the Nobel Price, she said, “I would like to call on young people, in particular, to take inspiration from this prize. Despite all the constraints that they face, there is hope in the future in serving the common good. What my experiences have taught me is that service to others has its own special rewards.”