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Kenya

Jambo!  Welcome to Kenya.  Kenya is a land with many cultures, both modern and traditional. 

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 Kenya's People
In Nairobi, Kenya's capital, and other large cities, life styles are modern and much like others in Western cities.   Most people in the cities wear modern clothes such as jeans and t-shirts. Women in Kenya traditionally wear brightly colored materials and jewelry.  Many women also wear a kanga.   It is a long piece of material that can be worn as a skirt or tied over the shoulder to carry infants.  Kenyan women also often wear head scarves.

Kenyan parents must pay for their children to attend school.  Schools are usually run by the community.  Children are not required to go to school, but most do.

Kenya's Homes
People in big cities like Nairobi live in modern houses or apartments made of stone or cement.  In more remote areas of Kenya, people live in homes made of thatch and dried mud with no modern conveniences.   There are many tribes of people that live simply like their ancestors once did.  

Kenya's Culture
Kenya is home to several different ethnic groups, each with different languages, dialects, and customs.  Most of Kenya's population is African. The Maasai people of Kenya are one of the indigenous (original) people that live a very traditional lifestyle.    They usually live in thatch and mud homes and tend cattle.

Family and tribal life is important to the people of Kenya that live outside of the cities.  Children often work or do chores in the daytime and at night the family gathers around the fire for storytelling and singing.

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 Kenya's Foods
Traditional Kenyan meals consist of barbequed meats, usually goat, and beans.  Rice, fried doughs, and ugali (a cornmeal porridge), yams, and fruits are also often served.   In the cities almost any kind of food can be found.
Kenya's Activities
Football (soccer) is a popular sport in Kenya.  Kenya is well known for its long distance runners.  One of Kenya's best known runners is Kipchoge Keino, who won Olympic Gold Medals in both 1968 and 1972.

Modern and traditional Kenyans enjoy dancing and music.

Kenya's Animals
Kenya is famous for its wildlife.   The country is home to animals such as elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, rhinoceros, warthogs, and other wild game.  There are also over 1,000 kinds of bird in Kenya.  Safari (a Swahili word meaning journey) tours are important to Kenya's tourism industry.  Thousands of visitors travel to Kenya each year to see the animals.

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 Kenya's Holidays and Celebrations 
Kenyans celebrate holidays from many cultural and religious backgrounds.  The major holidays in Kenya are New Years Day, Easter, Labor Day, Jamhuri Day (Independence Day), Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and Ramadan.
Kenya's Land
The climate of Kenya is hot, since it lies exactly on the equator.  Most of the country is desert like. 

Kenya's Cities and Landmarks
Even though there is a lot of desert, Kenya has two great lakes, called Lake Turkana and Lake Victoria.  Lake Victoria is the second largest fresh water lake in the world.

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j0189524.jpg (35494 bytes) Kenya's Facts:
Area: 224,960 sq. miles
Capital City: Nairobi
Population: 28 million 
Language: English, Swahili, and other indigenous languages.
Currency: Kenyan shilling
Natural resources: gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barytes, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, and wildlife.

References:
All images from Microsoft Office Clip Art and Gallery licensed through Microsoft Front Page and Microsoft.
EMJ Kids, http://www.exclusivelymj.com/emjkids/country.html
Graham, Leland and Brandon, Traci.  A Trip Around the World.   North Carolina: Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company,  1996.
Graham, Leland and Brandon, Traci.  Another Trip Around the World.   North Carolina: Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company,  1996.
Adams, Ganeri, and Kay.  The DK Geography of the World.  New York: DK Publishing,  1996.

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