LOCATION AND SIZE OF KENYA
How much, dear learner, do you know about our dear country Kenya? Firstly, did you know that our country is found in Eastern Africa? Kenya is made up of 47 counties. A county is usually made up of a number of towns or villages.
Kenya has several good neighbours. Ethiopia, which borders Kenya to the north. Tanzania borders Kenya to the South, Somalia to the East and Uganda to the West. South Sudan is our neighbour to the North West.
Kenya covers a total area of 582,646km. It lies on longitude 34 and 42 and latitutde 5 and 4. The most northerly point of Kenya is at Kibish in Turkana, while the most southerly point is at Vanga, in Kwale county.
Which physical features are there in Kenya, dear learner? Can you name three? Oh, you can name more! Awesome.
In Kenya, we can find hills, mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys. lakes and rivers too, as well as, can you believe this, islands!
Some of the islands in Kenya are Mombasa, Lamu, Pate, Manda, Rusinga, Mfangano. Rusinga island can be found on the eastern part of Lake Victoria. This island is also where Tom Mboya was buried. Do you know who Tom Mboya was? Please find out. This is part of your homework today!
What do you know about Mombasa island? That famous island is a major tourist attraction where local and international tourists visit to see the beautiful beaches, marine parks and the iconic Fort Jesus.
Fun Social studies quiz on Eastern Africa
Now let’s talk more about a more common physical feature in Kenya. Let’s take a look at the lakes and rivers that our country has. River Tana, River Athi, River Ewaso Nyiro, River Nzoia, River Nyando, River Mara, Nairobi River, River Kerio, River Migori. Tana river is Kenya’s longest river and it is also called Sagana river. The River Mara on the other hand is known for its many hippos and numerous crocodiles. This is the same river where, you’ve probably seen on TV, many wildebeests plunge into the waters as they attempt to cross to Tanzania. Sadly, some of them are eaten by crocs and no, I’m not talking about shoes!
Kenya has several lakes, including Lake Victoria, Turkana, Baringo, Naivasha, Nakuru, Lake Bogoria, Elementaita, Magadi, Amboseli, and many more. Lake Bogoria is known for its hot springs and geysers that have boiling water; Lake Nakuru is known for its numerous flamingoes, and Lake Turkana is the world’s largest desert lake. What about Lake Victoria? What do you know about it? Write one fact about it in the comment section.
Among the hills we have in Kenya include Taita hills, Chyulu hills, Nyambane hills, Loita hills, Ngong hills, Nandi hills, Mau hills, Cherengani hills, Mbooni hills, Shimba hills and Samia hills. Taita Hills is found in Taita-Taveta county while Chyulu hills is found in Makueni county. Nyambene hills is in Meru county while Loita hills is found in Narok county. Can you find out where the rest of the hills are located?
Counties of Kenya Social Studies Quiz!
Plains include Loita plains, Kano plains, Kaputei plains, Awara plains, Ngaso plains, Athi-Kapiti plains. Loita plains are found in Narok county while the Kaputei plains are found in Kajiado county. Find out where the rest of the hills are located.
Mt Kenya, Mt Longonot, Mt Suswa, Mt Marsabit, Mt Elgon, Mt Kilimambogo, Mt Ndoto are among the mountains we have in Kenya. What do you know about Mt Kenya? Did you know it is the second highest mountain in Africa? Did you know that it has snow at its peak, meaning, at the very top? What about Mt Elgon? In which county is it? What do you know about it? Your homework is to find out facts about Mt. Ndoto and Mt Longonot and write it in the comments!
Kerio valley, Suguta valley, Lambwe valley and Subukia valley are examples of valleys that we have in Kenya.
Yatta plateau, Laikipia plateau, Lari, Nyakach and Loriyuu are other examples of plateaus in the country.
WEATHER AND CLIMATE
Weather is the daily atmospheric condition of a certain place, area, city, country etc. Weather changes from time to time. On the other hand, climate is weather conditions that are recorded for a long period of time. This could be 30-35 years.
Do you know some of the elements of weather? They include
- rainfall
- wind
- sunshine
- temperature
- cloud
- air pressure
- humidity
CLIMATIC REGIONS IN KENYA
Tropical Savannah Climate
- Experiences a cool dry season and a warm wet season.
- Temperatures range between 15-25 degrees
- Rainfall is between 750-1000mm
Mountain Climate
- Experienced in high altitude areas
- Is cool and wet.
- Low temperatures of 18 degrees.
- Experiences relief rainfall.
This climate is experienced in the slopes of Mt. Kenya, Elgon, Aberdare and Mau Ranges.
Desert and Semidesert Climate
- -Experiences hot and dry conditions.
- Temperatures can rise up to 40 degrees during the day but can fall to less than 10 degrees during the night.
- Rainfall is less than 250mm for desert climate and less than 500mm for semidesert.
- Usually, these regions have cloudless skies.
Equatorial of the Coast and the Lake Basin
- Experienced in the coastal lowlands of Kenya.
- It is hot and wet thoroughout the year.
- Has high humidity
- High rainfall between 1000mm-1500mm
- Temperature of about 26 degrees centigrade.
Modified Tropical Highland Climate
- This climate is experienced in the highland areas of the Rift Valley and some parts of Taita hills.
- Temperature ranges between 18 degrees and 23 degrees centigrade.
- Annual rainfall between 1800mm to 2000mm.
HISTORIC BUILT ENVIRONMENT
There are buildings and centres that have information of the past. These include museums, cultural centres, historical buildings and monuments. Dear learner, have you visited any Kenyan museum lately? If so, did you enjoy it? Let’s take a deeper look at what each of these are.
Museum – In these buildings, you will find cultural, historic, artistic and scientific objects preserved. For example, the National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi, the Kisumu Museum, the Lamu museum, etc.
Cultural Centres – These are areas in which cultural activities and artistic activities are promoted, for example, Bomas of Kenya. For example, at Bomas, visitors are entertained and experience Kenya’s culture through food, music and dance.
Monuments – These are structures that commemorate or honor a person or an event. Can you think of any? In Kenya, we have several including Dedan Kimathi statue, Tom Mboya statue, Vasco da Gama pillar etc.
Historic Buildings – These are old buildings that have historic information. Examples of these are Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Ruins of Gedi in Malindi, the Nairobi Gallery built in 1913, etc.
Now, it is up to you to find out which other museums we have in the country and feel free to list them in the comment section below!