Eastern Africa · AfricaKenya
Discover Kenya - the birthplace of safari tourism, home to the Great Migration, world-beating marathon runners, and Nairobi's booming tech scene.
Where Is Kenya?
Kenya is a country in Eastern Africa. Its capital is Nairobi.
- Capital Nairobi
- Population 57.5M
- Area 580,367 km²
Kenya practically invented the safari. The word itself is Swahili for journey, and the country's Maasai Mara reserve hosts the single most spectacular wildlife event on the planet - the annual Great Migration, when over two million wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles thunder across the Mara River from Tanzania's Serengeti. But reducing Kenya to just safaris misses the bigger picture. This is a country of extraordinary contrasts, from the snow-capped peak of Mount Kenya to the coral reefs of the Indian Ocean coast, from the flamingo-pink shores of Lake Nakuru to the arid deserts of the north.
Nairobi is East Africa's most dynamic city, home to a tech scene so vibrant it has earned the nickname Silicon Savannah. M-Pesa, the mobile money system that changed how Africa does business, was born here. The city also has the unusual distinction of having a national park within its boundaries - you can watch giraffes with skyscrapers in the background. And then there are the runners. Kenya's dominance in long-distance running is one of sport's great phenomena. The Kalenjin people of the Rift Valley have produced more Olympic and World Championship medalists in distance events than any comparable group on Earth.
At a glance
Largest cities in Kenya
Nairobi
Mombasa
Kisumu
Nakuru
Eldoret
Famous people from Kenya
Wangari Maathai
ActivismFounded the Green Belt Movement and became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize (2004) for environmental conservation
Eliud Kipchoge
SportGreatest marathon runner in history, Olympic champion and the first person to run a marathon in under two hours
Jomo Kenyatta
PoliticsFather of independence and Kenya's first president, who transformed the country from colony to sovereign nation
Lupita Nyong'o
FilmAcademy Award-winning actress born in Mexico and raised in Kenya, star of 12 Years a Slave and Black Panther
Ngugi wa Thiong'o
LiteraturePerennial Nobel Prize contender whose decision to write in Kikuyu instead of English challenged the dominance of colonial languages in African literature
Traditional cuisine of Kenya
- Nyama Choma
- Grilled meat, usually goat or beef, roasted over charcoal and served with ugali and kachumbari salad - Kenya's national obsession
- Ugali
- Stiff maize flour porridge that is the staple of every Kenyan meal, torn by hand and used to scoop up stews and vegetables
- Sukuma Wiki
- Braised collard greens sauteed with onions and tomatoes, the name means 'push the week' because it stretches budgets
- Chapati
- Flaky flatbread introduced by Indian settlers, now a beloved Kenyan staple served with stews or eaten on its own
- Mandazi
- Slightly sweet fried dough triangles flavored with coconut and cardamom, East Africa's answer to the doughnut
Nature and landmarks in Kenya
- Maasai MaraNational Park
- Kenya's most famous reserve and stage for the Great Migration, where over two million animals cross the Mara River annually
- Mount KenyaMountain
- Africa's second highest peak at 5,199 meters with glaciers and alpine lakes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Lake NakuruLake
- Rift Valley soda lake famous for vast flocks of flamingos that turn its shores pink, surrounded by a rhino sanctuary
- Amboseli National ParkNational Park
- Known for its large elephant herds and iconic views of Mount Kilimanjaro rising across the border in Tanzania
- Lamu Old TownLandmark
- UNESCO World Heritage Swahili settlement on the coast, the oldest continuously inhabited town in Kenya with no cars on its narrow streets
Sports in Kenya
- Long-Distance Running
- Kenya is the undisputed king of marathon and distance running, with Eliud Kipchoge breaking the two-hour barrier and Kalenjin runners winning hundreds of major races
- Football
- Harambee Stars compete in African qualifiers, with a growing domestic league and passionate fan culture
- Rugby Sevens
- Kenya Sevens team consistently competes on the World Rugby Sevens Series circuit, reaching multiple cup finals and building a strong rugby culture
Did you know?
Kenya's Kalenjin people, who make up about 12% of the population, have won more Olympic and World Championship distance running medals than any comparable group on Earth
Nairobi National Park is the only national park in the world inside a capital city - you can see lions with skyscrapers in the background
M-Pesa, the mobile money system that revolutionized banking across Africa, was launched in Kenya in 2007
The Great Migration across the Maasai Mara involves over 2 million animals and is considered the greatest wildlife spectacle on the planet
Kenya straddles the equator, meaning you can stand with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and one in the Southern
Mount Kenya has glaciers despite being almost exactly on the equator, though they are rapidly shrinking due to climate change
The country is named after Mount Kenya, which in the Kikuyu language is called Kirinyaga, meaning 'place of brightness'
Read more about Kenya
How the Continents Got Their Names
Zeus disguised as a bull, a Florentine explorer who stole Columbus's credit, and a southern land imagined centuries before it was found. The surprising origins of all seven continent names.
Why Do Some Countries Drive on the Left?
From medieval swordfighters to Napoleon's conquests - the surprising history behind why 76 countries drive on the left while the rest of the world drives on the right.
Can you find Kenya on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Kenya and its neighbours without a second thought.
