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General Information Area: 580,367 sq km (224,081 sq miles). Population: 33,144,000 (1997). Population Density: 57.1 per sq km. Capital: Nairobi. Population: 1,504,900 (1990). GEOGRAPHY: Kenya shares borders with Ethiopia in the north, Sudan in the northwest, Uganda in the west, Tanzania in the south and Somalia in the northeast. To the east lies the Indian Ocean. The country is divided into four regions: the arid deserts of the north; the savannah lands of the south; the fertile lowlands along the coast and around the shores of Lake Victoria; and highlands in the west, where the capital Nairobi is situated. Northwest of Nairobi runs the Rift Valley, containing the town of Nakuru and Aberdare National Park, overlooked by Mount Kenya (5200m/17,000ft), which also has a national park. In the far northwest is Lake Turkana (formerly Lake Rudolph). Kenya is a multicultural society; in the north live Somalis and the nomadic Hamitic peoples (Turkana, Rendille and Samburu), in the south and eastern lowlands are Kamba and Masai and the Luo live around Lake Victoria. The largest group is the Kikuyu who live in the central highlands and have traditionally been dominant in commerce and politics, although this is now changing. There are many other smaller groups and although Kenya emphasises nationalism, tribal and cultural identity is a factor. A small European settler population remains in the highlands, involved in farming and commerce. Government: Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1963. Head of State and Government: President Mwai Kibaki since December 2002. Language: Swahili is the national language and English is the official language. There are over 42 ethnic languages spoken, including Kikuyu and Luo. Religion: Mostly traditional but there is a sizeable Christian population (both Catholic and Protestant) and a small Muslim community. Time: GMT + 3 (Winter), GMT + 2 (Summer). Electricity: 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are UK-type round two-pin or flat three-pin. Bayonet-type light sockets exist in Kenya. Communications:   Telephone IDD service is available to the main cities. Country code: 254 (followed by 2 for Nairobi, 11 for Mombasa and 37 for Nakuru). Outgoing international code: 000. International calls can sometimes be made direct or operator-assisted by dialling 0196. Public telephones work with coins or with phone cards (which may be purchased from post offices or from international call services in major towns); coin-operated phone booths are painted red, card-operated booths are painted blue. Major hotels also offer a phone service, but they usually charge up to 100 per cent more. For local calls, it is useful to have plenty of small change available. Mobile telephone GSM 900. The main network providers are KenCell (website: www.kencell.co.ke) and Safaricom (website: www.safaricom.ke). Fax This service is available to the public at the Main Post Office and the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, and at major hotels. Telegram Overseas telegrams can be sent from all post and telegraphic offices and private telephones. Nairobi GPO is open 24 hours. Internet There are over 30 ISPs in Kenya: JamboNet and 19 of the other ISPs belong to The East African Internet Association. There are Internet cafes in major cities and hotels. Post Post Offices are identified by Telkom Kenya (Kenya Posts & Telecommunications Corporation). Post boxes are red. Stamps can usually be bought at post offices, stationers, souvenir shops and hotels. Airmail to Western Europe takes up to four days, and the service is generally reliable. Post offices are open Mon-Fri 0800-1700, Sat 0900-1200 (main post offices). Press The main dailies (all published in English) include Daily Nation, Kenya Times, The People and The East African Standard. Nairobi is the main publishing centre. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 17.89 15.42 9.630 6.005 Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 15.58 11.98 6.035 0.909 From www.columbusguides.com, Copyright © 2004 Highbury Columbus Travel Publishing Terms and Conditions apply.