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Kenya
Full country name: Republic of Kenya
Area: 583,000 sq km
Population: 30,339,770
Capital city: Nairobi
People: 24% Kikuyu, 16% Luhya, 13% Luo,12% Kisii, 11% Kamba, 6%
Kalenjin,
6% Meru, 16% other
Languages: English, Swahili, indigenous.
Religion: 40% Protestant, 36% Roman Catholic, 16% Muslim, 6%
Animist
Government: Republic (multiparty state)
President: Daniel Toroitich arap Moi
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GDP: US$42.4 billion
GDP per head: US$1525
Annual growth: 1.6%
Inflation: 2.5%
Major industries: small-scale consumer goods (plastic,
furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour),
agricultural processing, oil refining, cement, tourism Major
trading partners: Uganda, Tanzania, UK, Germany, UAE, South
Africa
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Facts for the Traveler
Visas: All visitors require a visa except citizens of some
Commonwealth countries and citizens of selected countries such
as Denmark, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Norway,
Spain, South Africa and Sweden. Apply well in advance for your
visa - especially if doing it by mail. Health risks: Malaria
(except in Nairobi and high-altitude areas), cholera, hepatitis,
meningitis, mugging, typhoid, schistosomisis, HIV, Rift Valley
fever and yellow fever.
Time: GMT/UTC plus three hours
Electricity: 240V
Weights & measures: Metric
Tourism: About 700,000 visitors per year
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When to Go
The main tourist season is in January and February, since the
hot, dry weather at this time of year is generally considered to
be the most pleasant. It's also when Kenya's birdlife flocks to
the Rift Valley lakes in the greatest numbers. June to September
could be called the 'shoulder season' as the weather is still
dry. The rains hit from March to May (and to a lesser extent
from October to December). During these months things are much
quieter - places tend to have rooms available and prices drop.
The rains generally don't affect travellers' ability to get
around.
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Events
Kenya's most spectacular annual event is organised by an
unlikely group - wildebeests. Literally millions of these
ungainly antelopes move en masse in July and August from the
Serengeti in search of lush grass. They head south again around
October. The best place to see this phenomenon is at the Masai
Mara National Reserve. Kenya's more orthodox annual events
include public holidays
such as Kenyatta Day (20 October) and Independence Day (12
December).
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