Africa is the second largest continent. Ithas 53 countries. It is surrounded by theAtlantic Ocean in the west, Indian Oceanin the east, the Red Sea in the northeast,and the Mediterranean Sea in the North.Kenya is on the east coast.

Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. Like New York,the city has many modern facilities such as:an international airport, museums,universities, government and financialbuildings. Its estimated population is between3 and 4 million people.

Mombasa is on the east coast of Kenya and is the second largest city in the country. It is afamous tourist area because of its beautiful beaches and clear waters. It is Kenya’s mainport and is an important industrial center as well as a major resting point for shipping in theIndian Ocean. It once was an important port for traders coming from Arabia, Portugal, India,the Far East, and England.

Lamu is Kenya’s oldest town. It has existed for at least athousand years. At one time it was a port for trade.

Machakos is a major rural center about 36 miles southeast of Nairobi. It used to be the capital.

Kenya is a country of manylandscapes. There areseveral mountains and milesof sunny beaches, but mostof all there are wide, grassyplains. These huge grasslandsare called savannas. Kenyaalso has rich farmland. Someareas are dry and dusty. Inother areas, warm weatherand lots of rainfall help manytypes of plants grow. Someof these areas are coveredwith tea and coffee fieldsthat farmers plant eachyear.

Because the equator runs through Kenya, it does not have the four seasons that manycountries enjoy. Instead of drastic changes in temperature, the most noticeable change inweather pattern is marked by rainfall. Kenya has two rainy seasons. The “long rains” arrive inApril and last until June. The “short rains” often begin in October and last until December.January and February, and then August through September, are very dry months. Duringthese times, many rivers and lakes dry up completely. Kenya has been experiencing droughtconditions for the past five years. Temperature varies depending where you are in Kenya, butit ranges from 68° to 82°

Thousands of years ago, earthquakes and volcanoes made a deep valley in theearth’s surface. Part of this area, called the Great Rift Valley runs through Kenya.Scientists believe that the Great Rift Valley is where the first relatives of all theEarth’s people lived.

The Masai Mara National Park is the most popular park in Kenya. It is a large park withextensive areas of open grassland. You can see many different kinds of species here. It ishome to Kenya’s largest population of lions. The most fascinating occurrence in this park isduring July/ August when the wildebeest migrate from Tanzania to Kenya.

Marsabit National Reserve is aforested mountain. It has threebeautiful crater lakes and a widevariety of bird life. It is a good parkto view elephants.

Amboseli is in the south. It isknown for its spectacular views ofMount Kilimanjaro. It is one of thebest places to see cheetah.

Tsavo National Park is an enormouspark that consists mainly of bushwith some wooded areas. It too ishome to large populations ofanimals such as: zebra, buffalo.antelope, and lion

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It has shore on three countries-Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. It is the second largest freshwater lake in theworld.

Lake Turkana is the largest permanent desert lake in the world and the fourthlargest salt lake.

lMt. Kenya is the second largest mountain in Africa. Although themountain lies along the equator, it is covered in snow throughout the year.

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The slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro are partially in Kenya, but the peak of thisfamous landmark is in the bordering country of Tanzania. Many peoplefrom all over the world travel to Africa to climb Kilimanjaro.