Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children March 2016

When most people think of Kenya, they picture majestic elephants and fierce lions roaming the savannas. But Kenya is so much more than its animals. Kenya is a land as complex and diverse as its people, who represent 70 different ethnic groups. Here are five facts about this diverse and beautiful African country. 1. Is Kenya the birthplace of humankind? Fossilized hominid remains found in what are now Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania lead many to believe that East Africa is where humankind originated. 2. Many of the world’s top runners come from Kenya. Sports scientists have studied Kenyan runners to find out what makes them the best in the world. Although the question seems simple, finding the answer has proven to be difficult and controversial. 3. Environmentalist Wangari Maathai was…

Official Name: Republic of Kenya Area: 225,000 square miles (582,646 square kilometers) Population: 45.9 million (July 2015 estimate) Capital: Nairobi Location: Kenya is located on the east coast of Africa. It has a coastline on the Indian Ocean and straddles the equator. The countries of Ethiopia and Sudan border Kenya on the north, Somalia on the east, Tanzania on the south, and Uganda on the west. Climate: tropical along the coast and arid inland Highest Point: Mount Kenya (17,058 feet or 5,199 meters) People: There are more than 70 different ethnic groups in Kenya. Each has its own language and culture. The three largest ethnic groups are the Gikuyu (Kikuyu), Luo, and the Luhya. Languages: Swahili is the national language and English is the official language. Most people speak their…

The giraffe is the tallest land animal in the world. It is well known for its long neck and legs, and its distinctive spotted patterns. In fact, the first people to see giraffes believed they were a cross between a leopard and a camel. Thus, the scientific name – Giraffa camelopardalis. The following are some of the characteristics and behaviors that make giraffes stand head and shoulders above the rest of the animal kingdom. Giraffes’ 1.5 to 1.8 meter-long necks allow them to eat leaves that are much higher and out of reach of other animals, and help them to keep a sharp lookout for predators across the savanna (grasslands). Surprisingly, a giraffe’s neck contains the same number of cervical vertebrae as a human neck — seven. The giraffe’s vertebrae…

The Swahili word “harambee” (hah-RABM-bay, which means “pull together”) fittingly describes the diverse East African nation of Kenya. About 70 distinct African ethnic groups, in addition to Europeans, Asians, and Arabs, live together in this country. In Kenya, you can stand on the equator and yet play in the snow. Lions and giraffes thrive only minutes from the bustling capital of Nairobi. Four land regions in Kenya fit together like puzzle pieces to create one unique landscape. The tropical coastline in the southeast stretches for 300 miles along the Indian Ocean. Kenyans enjoy the white sandy beaches of the ancient port city of Mombasa. They use the Indian Ocean as a highway for trade and for fishing. Northern savannas cover almost three-fourths of the country. Nearly all farming occurs in…

“When I grow up, I want to be a runner.” These words are spoken by the thousands of Kenyan children who see running as their only way out of a life of poverty. World-class Kenyan runners are heroes for the many children who dream of a better life. The prize money that can be won from just one race can change a Kenyan’s life forever. A large percentage of Kenya’s top runners are members of Kalenjin, one of the country’s more than 70 different ethnic groups. They live in high-elevation villages in the Rift Valley in western Kenya. Within this group of approximately 10 million people, there are eight different ethnic groups. One of these groups, the Nandi, has become synonymous with long-distance running. Although they make up less than…

Kenya, like most African nations, is male-dominated. Men run the government, own the land, livestock, and businesses, but this is changing. Kenya made the most improvements in gender equality laws for improvement of the women’s situation between the years of 2009 and 2011 than any country in the world. While the role of Kenyan women varies by ethnicity and by rural and urban areas, women suffer economically, physically, socially, and politically from gender inequality. The new 2010 constitution specifically gave women the same legal rights as men to land, court access, inheritance, nationality, and freedom of movement. Cultural change is exceedingly slow and many women and judicial officials are unaware of the new laws. The family is the centerpiece of Kenyan culture and the traditional role of women is to…