Picture Page on Kenya

Outline

  1. Physical and Natural Environment
  2. Human Environment
  3. Human-induced Changes to the Physical Environment

Physical and Natural Environment

Mount Kenya

 

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/441468

 

Kenya is the home to many mountain ranges. Mount Kenya, picture here, is the second highest peak in Africa behind Mount Kilimanjaro in neighboring Tanzania. Located just north of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, Mount Kenya is a popular destination for mountain climbers and tourists alike. Although Kenya is near the equator Mount Kenya is unique in that it has permanent glaciers located throughout the mountains and many species of plants and animals unique only to Mount Kenya. To the local Kikuyu people, Mount Kenya is more than a mountain though, it is said to be the home of Ngai the God they worship.

 

Lake Nakuru

 

 

 http://www.panoramio.com/photo/195878

 

Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley Soda lakes located in central Kenya. This lake is known for the flocks of flamingos that gather here to feed on the algae that grow abundantly in Lake Nakuru. Although flamingos are the most numerous animals found here, many other wild animals call the area in and around the lake home, such as rhinos, baboons, zebras, waterbucks, and giraffes. It is also unique in that along with the other Soda Lakes, it is an alkaline lake. This is because these lakes are located near volcanoes that have left behind their ashes that contain sodium carbonate causing the lakes to be alkaline.  The nearby volcanoes and wildlife that roam in Lake Nakuru National Park, where the lake is located, draw many visitors every year. 

 

Mount Longonot

 

 

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/330347

 

Mount Longonot is a relatively young volcano that lies in south central Kenya. As one of more than twenty volcanoes in Kenya, it has become home to many of the local wildlife. Like many of the other volcanoes located in Kenya it is dormant, and it is believed the last time is erupted was in the 1860’s. The rainfall in the area is very often unpredictable and the climate is hot and dry leaving much of the area with little vegetation. But, in the crater of Longonot, there is a lush forest that is home to many animals. 

 

Human Environment

Local Market in Machakos

http://www.magicalkenya.com/gallery.nsf/picgallerybyname1/94C352EE9C47B5EE43256AF500456F2F?opendocument&i=y&l=1 

Machakos is the capital of the Machakos District in Kenya and has become a satellite town of Nairobi. This rural town has been growing quickly over the last few years, but has been in existence about ten years longer than the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. A town surrounded by hilly terrain, it is the location of many family farms. The local people, many of whom are Akambas, make their living on their farms where they grow their crops and then sell them at the local markets such as the one shown above. Many years ago they would bring people from very far away because they were not only good at selling the goods they had to offer they were also very good traders.

Schools in Kenya

http://www.kenyaschoolproject.org/photo_gallery.html

The schools in Kenya are very poor just like in much of Africa. The primary schools just recently became free to attend allowing more children to go to school. The education system in Kenya is based on eight years in primary school. This is followed by four years of secondary school. Only about two percent of Kenyan’s go onto the college or university. Although in recent years organization such as the harambee system have helped improve schooling in Kenya, many of the schools still run on volunteers teaching classes and poor facilities as you can see in the picture above.

Main Street in Lamu

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/550275

Lamu Island is located just off of the coast of Kenya and is connected by a ferry to the mainland. Once a very prosperous center for slave trade and located along a main Arabian trading route, Lamu has a very diverse ethnic population. The town is very old and has some wonderful Swahili architecture that has been well preserved. The city is unique in that the streets are all very narrow as you can see in the image above, because of this automobiles are not allowed in the city Donkeys are the preferred mode of transportation around the island.

Human-induced Changes to the Physical Environment

Downtown Nairobi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nairobi_Skyline.jpg 

Nairobi is the capital of Kenya located in the south central part of the country and one of the most modernized cities in the country today. The city began just before the twentieth century as a town where the railroad stopped. The railway quickly brought wealth to Nairobi causing the city to grow rapidly. Once controlled by the British, the city has continued to prosper since it was returned to the local people, although a strong British influence can still be found in the city today. The business district has grown in the last few years to look like many modern skylines of western countries.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

http://www.magicalkenya.com/gallery.nsf/picgallerybyname1/8E886A361624DAD443256AFF001E7761?opendocument&i=y&l=1

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is located in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. It is the largest airport in East and Central Africa providing service to the many people who travel and visit eastern Africa every year. As a main hub that has direct flights to Asia and Europe many hotels and shuttle services have developed in the area to accommodate the more than four million passengers who travel to the area every year. The airport also functions as an important center for the import and export of goods and cargo.

Mombasa

http://www.mombasainfo.com/Home/Home.htm

The second largest city, Mombassa, is located off of the coast of Africa. Mombassa has become a very busy tourist town. Along with being successful in tourism, it is also home to the largest port in eastern Africa. Many tourists travel here to visit the nearly perfect white sand beaches and luxury hotels located along the coast, but the city has a rich history which is very evident in the “Old Town” portion of the city where many people also spend some time learning about the history of the city. The “Mombasa Tusks” located in the center of the city are also a popular destination for tourists. Like the other islands that are off of the coast of Kenya there are a multitude of cultures located throughout the city but the main local language spoken is Swahili, but because it is a tourist town there are many other languages spoken there such as English and German.

 

Submitted by Bailey Snyder on March 26, 2007.