10:22 pm
March 8, 2011


Care Africa USA


http://www.causaafrica.org/



About CAUSA in San Diego


http://www.causaafrica.org/about.htm



ABOUT THE AFRICA PROGRAM

About the African programs

Background on Kenya

The country of Kenya lies on the east coast of Africa, on the Indian Ocean. The equator runs through the center of the country so the climate is hot and humid on the coast. Kenya's primary religion is Christianity. Its primary languages are English and Swahili. Although Kenya became a republic in 1964, it was a dictatorship until 2002. The people of Kenya are generally either rich or poor, with almost no middle class. Kenya has undergone good economic growth in recent years, but it still remains a poor country where more than 50% of its population lives in poverty. HIV is a major health problem in Kenya, where about 8% of the adult population is infected with HIV, compared to less than 0.6% in the USA. Tourism is one of Kenya's main sources of foreign monetary input, especially tourism for viewing the country's wildlife, which includes elephants, giraffes, rhinos, lions, cheetahs, crocodiles, hippos, ostriches, and flamingos. 80% of the country's population works in agriculture, especially for the export of coffee, tea, tobacco, cotton, and cashews. Some of the notable native plants of the country include the baobab tree and the acacia tree, the latter of which is eaten by giraffes. Kenya is where Dr. Richard Leakey and his wife discovered the skull of Proconsul africanus, which many believe is a common ancestor of both apes and humans. The country of Kenya has a number of British characteristics, such as the use of the shilling as the unit of currency, interest in cricket and rugby, export of tea, and use of the expression "I say!" ("Aisee!" in Swahili). The films King Solomon's Mines (1950), Hatari! (1962), Born Free (1966), The Flame Trees of Thika (1981), Out of Africa (1985), and Mountains of the Moon (1990) were set at least in part in Kenya. Kenyans are famous for being unusually fast runners, and dominate the winners among marathons worldwide. President Barack Obama's father is from Kenya.

San Diegans may be familiar with the names Nairobi, Mombasa, and Samburu through the San Diego Wild Animal Park, which contains areas called Nairobi Village, Mombasa Lagoon, and Samburu Jungle Gym. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, Mombasa is another major city in Kenya, and Samburu is a tribe from Kenya. Also, horticulturists may be familiar with the name "Kikuyu" through "Kikuyu Grass," which is a common species of lawn grass native to Kenya. Kikuyu is the name of a tribe and the name of a town in Kenya.

 

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