Match 130 DB Rec# - 7,582 Dataset-WOFACT
Title :Kenya
Text :
Kenya
Geography
Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total area:
582,650 sq km
land area:
569,250 sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries:
total 3,446 km, Ethiopia 830 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769
km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline:
536 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with international
boundary; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis
Climate:
varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Terrain:
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile
plateau in west
Natural resources:
gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barytes, rubies, fluorspar, garnets,
wildlife
Land use:
arable land:
3%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
7%
forest and woodland:
4%
other:
85%
Irrigated land:
520 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water
quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; deforestation;
soil erosion; desertification; poaching
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified -
Desertification
Geography
Note:
the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural
production regions in Africa; glaciers on Mt. Kenya; unique physiography
supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value
People
Population:
28,817,227 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
48% (female 6,841,235; male 6,957,908)
15-64 years:
50% (female 7,277,061; male 7,085,925)
65 years and over:
2% (female 359,659; male 295,439) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.99% (1995 est.)
Birth rate:
41.66 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate:
12.04 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate:
-19.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
73.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
52.41 years
male:
50.72 years
female:
54.16 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.76 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Kenyan(s)
adjective:
Kenyan
Ethnic divisions:
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%,
Asian, European, and Arab 1%, other 15%
Religions:
Protestant (including Anglican) 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs
26%, other 8%
Languages:
English (official), Swahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1989)
total population:
71%
male:
81%
female:
62%
Labor force:
by occupation:
agriculture 75%-80% (1993 est.), non-agriculture 20%-25% (1993 est.)
Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Kenya
conventional short form:
Kenya
former:
British East Africa
Digraph:
KE
Type:
republic
Capital:
Nairobi
Administrative divisions:
7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North
Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western
Independence:
12 December 1963 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution:
12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979,
1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, and 1992
Legal system:
based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in
High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations;
constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state
repealed in 1991
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI (since 14 October 1978); Vice President
George SAITOTI (since 10 May 1989); election last held on 29 December 1992
(next to be held NA 1997); results - President Daniel T. arap MOI was
reelected with 37% of the vote; Kenneth Matiba (FORD-ASILI) 26%; Mwai Kibaki
(SP) 19%, Oginga Odinga (FORD-Kenya) 17%
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
unicameral
National Assembly (Bunge):
elections last held on 29 December 1992 (next to be held NA); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (188 total) KANU 100, FORD-Kenya 31,
FORD-Asili 31, DP 23, smaller parties 3; president nominates 12 additional
members
note:
first multiparty election since repeal of one-party state law in 1991
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal, High Court
Political parties and leaders:
ruling party is Kenya African National Union (KANU), President Daniel
Toroitich arap MOI; opposition parties include Forum for the Restoration of
Democracy (FORD-Kenya), Michael WAMALWA; Forum for the Restoration of
Democracy (FORD-Asili), Kenneth MATIBA; Democratic Party of Kenya (DP), Mwai
KIBAKI
Other political or pressure groups:
labor unions; Roman Catholic Church
Government
Member of:
ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory
user), IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIL, UNU, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Benjamin Edgar KIPKORIR
chancery:
2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 387-6101
FAX:
[1] (202) 462-3829
consulate(s) general:
Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Aurelia BRAZEAL
embassy:
corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi
mailing address:
P. O. Box 30137, Unit 64100, Nairobi; APO AE 09831
telephone:
[254] (2) 334141
FAX:
[254] (2) 340838
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is
edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is
superimposed at the center
Economy
Overview:
Kenya in recent years has had one of the highest natural rates of growth in
population, but the statistics have been complicated by the large-scale
movement of nomadic groups and of Somalis back and forth across the border.
Population growth has been accompanied by deforestation, deterioration in
the road system, the water supply, and other parts of the infrastructure. In
industry and services, Nairobi's reluctance to embrace IMF-supported reforms
had held back investment and growth in 1991-93. Nairobi's push on economic
reform in 1994, however, helped support a 3.3% increase in output.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power parity - $33.1 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate:
3.3% (1994 est.)
National product per capita:
$1,170 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
30% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate:
35% urban (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$2.4 billion
expenditures:
$2.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $740 million (1990 est.)
Exports:
$1.45 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities:
tea 25%, coffee 18%, petroleum products 11% (1990)
partners:
EC 47%, Africa 23%, Asia 11%, US 4%, Middle East 3% (1991)
Imports:
$1.85 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment 29%, petroleum and petroleum products
15%, iron and steel 7%, raw materials, food and consumer goods (1989)
partners:
EC 46%, Asia 23%, Middle East 20%, US 5% (1991)
External debt:
$7 billion (1994 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 3.9% (1991 est.); accounts for 14% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
810,000 kW
production:
3.3 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
117 kWh (1993)
Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap,
cigarettes, flour), processing agricultural products, oil refining, cement,
tourism
Agriculture:
most important sector, accounting for 27% of GDP and 65% of exports; cash
crops - coffee, tea; food products - corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit,
vegetables, dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Economy
Illicit drugs:
widespread harvesting of small, wild plots of marijuana and qat; most
locally consumed; transit country for Southwest Asian heroin moving to West
Africa and onward to Europe and North America; Indian methaqualone also
transits on way to South Africa
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $839 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $7.49 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $74 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $83
million
Currency:
1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1 - 44.478 (January 1995), 56.051 (1994),
58.001 (1993), 32.217 (1992), 27.508 (1991), 22.915 (1990)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Transportation
Railroads:
total:
2,650 km
narrow gauge:
2,650 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways:
total:
64,590 km
paved:
7,000 km
unpaved:
gravel 4,150 km; improved earth 53,440 km
Inland waterways:
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya
Pipelines:
petroleum products 483 km
Ports:
Kisumu, Lamu, Mombasa
Merchant marine:
total:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,883 GRT/6,255 DWT
ships by type:
barge carrier 1, oil tanker 1
Airports:
total:
246
with paved runways over 3,047 m:
3
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:
2
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:
2
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
22
with paved runways under 914 m:
83
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:
1
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m:
14
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
119
Communications
Telephone system:
over 260,000 telephones; in top group of African systems
local:
NA
intercity:
consists primarily of microwave radio relay links
international:
2 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) earth stations
Radio:
broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 4, shortwave 0
radios:
NA
Television:
broadcast stations:
6
televisions:
NA
Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General Service Unit of the Police
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 6,358,344; males fit for military service 3,932,506 (1995
est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $136 million, 1.9% of GDP (FY93/94)
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The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995
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