No matter where you live in the world, there’s a good chance you’ve got a little Kenya in you. Many scientists have called the country a “cradle of humanity” and believe our earliest human ancestors emerged from the region some 2.5 million years ago. Named after the 17,058-feet high Mount Kenya, this vibrant nation is now home to 36 million inhabitants from more than a dozen tribal ethnicities.

Once a land of subsistence farmers and nomadic herders, British colonization during the late 19th century transformed Kenya into an agricultural powerhouse. Dispossessed of their traditional lands by European plantation owners, many native Kenyans began moving from the country to emerging cities like Mombasa and the capital, Nairobi. After decades of bloody unrest, Kenya was granted independence in 1963. Despite instances of corruption and political suppression, Kenya’s government has had success in redistributing land to traditional stakeholders and in combating HIV/AIDS. Challenges persist, as a quarter of the adult population remains illiterate and over forty per cent of Kenyans continue to live in poverty without access to safe drinking water.

Despite recent ethnic violence, Kenya is a tourism favorite. Millions flock to see the lions, leopards, buffalo, rhinoceros, and elephants that inhabit the country’s 50 national parks and reserves. Kenya’s media and entertainment industries also thrive. The nation’s radio, newspapers, music, films and television productions set the standard throughout East Africa. Worldwide, Kenya’s runners lead the pack. Since first competing in the 1956 Olympics, the country has won 54 medals and persistently laid claim to half of the silverware on offer in men’s distance events, with the women not far behind.

To Learn More Visit:

United Nations Cyber School Bus

http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/index.asp?id=404

Kenya at the United Nations

http://www.kenyaun.org/