Often referred to as the "cradle of humanity," Kenya is located on the eastern coast of Africa along the Indian Ocean and sits between Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. Its location makes it the regional center for trade in East Africa.

On December 12, 1963, Kenya gained its independence from Great Britain and soon after underwent rapid economic growth. With more than 40 ethnic groups, Kenya is a culturally rich and diverse country. Kenya’s population is dominated by six major ethnic groups: Kikuyu (22%), Luhya (14%), Luo (13%), Kalenjin (12%), Kamba (11%), Kisii (6%) and Meru (6%). Various other tribes comprise 15% of the population, while Asians, Europeans and Arabs make up the remaining one percent of the total population. Not surprisingly, many different tribal dialects are spoken along with the official languages of Swahili and English. Almost 80% of Kenyans identify themselves as Christians, and the remaining population is split evenly between Islam and various other traditional religious beliefs.

Kenya enjoys a tropical climate with hot afternoons and cooler evenings. The rainy season is from April to June, though it is mostly sunny all year round. Due to its diverse topography and climate, Kenya has an impressive assortment of both animal and plant life and is renowned for the wildlife in the Serengeti. Kenya is also home to Mount Kilimanjaro, located south of the capital - Nairobi on the Kenya-Tanzanian border. It is not only the highest mountain in Kenya but all of Africa and is one of the few places near the equator in Africa with permanent glaciers.

Web Resources for Kenya

• Government of Kenya  |  Official Site
• Embassy of Kenya to the US
• Yahoo News  |  Compiled wire reports on Kenya
• BBC on Kenya  |  News and Country Profile
• Background Notes  |  From the US State Department
• Stanford Libraries African Collection  |  Extensive collection of Kenya-related weblinks