KenyaBy Kenya Chestnut

• Kenya is in Eastern Africa bordering the Indian Ocean between Somalia and Tanzania.

• Kenya is slightly more than twice the size of the U.S. state Nevada.• The total area is 582, 650 square kilometers.• The land area is 569,250 square kilometers.• The water is 13, 400 square kilometers.• The population is over 33 million people.

Map of Kenya, Africa

 

Kenya Table of ContentsMap of Kenya .....................................1Kenya's History...................................2Regions in Kenya................................3Government and Currency..................4Religious Beliefs and Worship............5Shelter in Kenya..................................6Family Life...........................................7Values of Kenyans..............................8Food....................................................9Clothes..............................................10Entertainment, hobbies, and Sports...11Customs ...........................................12Celebrations......................................13Glossary............................................14Index..................................................15Bibliography.......................................16

Kenya's History 

Jomo Kenyatta is born in Ichaweri1894

Britain's protectorate is formed and names British East Africa 1895

Kenyans are recruited into World War 11914

The first tea plantation is founded1923

Kenyan Independence Day 1963

3 million Kenyans die from drought 2001

Timeline 1894 to 2001

Regions in Kenya

• Nairobi is a city and is the capital of Kenya and the world's safari capital.• The Coastline dates back 1000 years and is known for marine life, lagoons, and high cliffs.• The Rift Valley runs throughout Kenya from north to south and is known for extinct

volcanoes and game parks.• The Central Highlands are home to the highest mountains in Kenya like Mount Kenya, the

second highest in which experienced climbers visit to climb.• Kenya's greatest natural resource is petroleum which is used for oil and energy.

Mount Kenya17, 057 feet highFirst climbed in 1899

NairobiPopulation 3.1 million

Kenya's Government and Currency

Government• Kenya's government is presidential representative democratic republic.• Kenya's president Mulai Kabaki serves as both Chief of State and head of government

and was elected president for the popular five year term.• The prime minister Ralia Odinga is the head of the largest party in the National Assembly

and handles government business.

Currency• The Kenya dollar is called a shilling.• One american dollar will buy a cup of coffee with change left over in Kenya.• Shillings are in 5s, 10s, 20s, 50s, 100s, 500s, and 1000s like the American dollar.

Kenya's Religious Beliefs

More than 75 percent of Kenyans are Christians. Most of the Christians are protestants, and the rest are mainly Roman Catholics. Ten percent of Kenya's people are Muslims. Most live in Mombasa and the coastal regions.

Kenyan Christians in church outside

Kenyan Muslims worshiping at the mosque

Homes in Kenya

Houses are made out of brick, tar, and stone. Kenyans build huts out of mud. 

 Mud hut

Brick house

Kenyan Family Life

Just as they did long ago each family has its own ideas and way of life. Kenyans sing, dance and tell stories to remember ways of long ago. Some Kenyans still live as there ancestors lived hundreds of years ago.

Kenyan ValuesMarriage is highly valued by all traditional cultures of Kenya.  It is the foundation on which families are built.

Kenyan Weddings

The Food of KenyaKenyans love white corn called maize.They crush it into a light flour and then cook all sorts of dishes.One of the most favortie dishes is called ugali. Kenyans also eat fish,meat,and vegetables. In big cities such as Nairobi,Kenyans find pizza and french fries to eat.

Ugali Recipe

4 cups water3 to 4 cups maize meal 

Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add the maize meal and stir to prevent lumps. Add more maize meal to make a thick porridge. Keep stirring until the maize meal is well cooked. Tip out onto a plate - the ugali should hold its shape. 

Best served hot with sukuma wiki. 

4 servings. 

http://allthingskenyan.com/food-ugali.html

Kenyans wear three kinds of clothing including traditional tribal Western style, and Arabic style.

Clothing of Kenya

 

Western style

Traditional style

Arabic style

Entertainment, Hobbies, and Sports

• Cricket is a favorite sport in Kenya, and in 2003 its national team reached the semi-final Cricket World Cup.

• Football is what we call soccer in America an is popular in Kenya, but the country has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

• Boxing is so large in Kenya, December 26th is a major celebration on the calendar in Kenya.

• Track and field is a favorite sport in Kenya, and the country produces world known runners, such as the winner of the 2011 NY Marathon Geoffrey Mutai.

Cricket in Kenya

December 26 is Boxing Day

Football/soccer is a favorite past time

Customs Languages·      Swahili and English are the official languages.·      There are a total of 62 languages spoken in Kenya including African, Asian, and Middle Eastern languages.Family·      The extended family is the basis of the social culture.·      The male’s parents live with his family when the parents are too old to care for themselves.·      Kenyans believe after an ancestor dies, the spirit lives on until the last person in the family remembers or speaks of the ancestor.·      People who are married have greater status and appear more stable. Greetings·      Men greet with a short handshake if they are just meeting for the first time and a long handshake if they are good friends.·      Women greet with a hug and kiss.·      It is a sign of respect to lower your eyes when greeting someone with a higher status. Etiquette·      No one eats until the eldest person at the table begins eating.·      The guest is served first at the dinner table.·      It is polite to finish all the food on your plate.·      Guests are expected to wash their hands before and after eating. 

Kenyan women greeting with a kiss

Glossary• Maize - corn

• Muslim - relating to the religion and law of Islam

• Western - the new world or North America and South America

• Government - the system that rules a community

• Democratic Republic - government with democratic beliefs but the monarch is not the head of state

• Ancestor - a person from whom one comes

• Tribal - people united by common ancestors

• Regions - divisions of a space or surface

• Religions - a practice of beliefs in which people live

IndexAncestor, 7Celebrations, 15Clothing, 12Customs, 14Family, 7Food, 9Government, 6History, 4Homes, 8Religion, 7Sports, 13Values, 10

Bibliography

Ryan, Patrick. Welcome to Kenya. Mankato, MN: The Child's World, 1980

Giles, Bridget. Countries of the World. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2006

Culture Grams. www.culturegrams.com

World Book. www.wordbook.com