Kenya
Africa Β· Capital: Nairobi
How it is run: Kenya elects a president and a parliament, and the country is split into 47 counties that make many of their own local rules.
Kenya is home to 57.5 million people in Eastern Africa, where people speak English, Swahili.
Numbers that tell a story π’
π₯ People
57.5 million people
That is 0.7% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
πΊοΈ Land
580,367 kmΒ²
Bigger than Texas β a long road trip from one side to the other.
ποΈ How crowded
About 99 people per square kilometre β a comfortable mix of cities and open land.
π Size in its region
7th most people in Africa
23rd largest by land in Africa.
π£οΈ Official languages
English, Swahili
More than one language is used for official business.
π° Money
Kenyan shilling (Sh)
Life here today π©Ί
These come from World Bank open data β the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
β€οΈ How long people live
63.8 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
πΌ Money made per person each year
about US$2,363
A lower-income country: money for schools, clinics and roads has to stretch a very long way.
π’ Living in cities
32.2% of people
Many people still live in villages and farming towns.
π Kids under 15
36.3% of the population
A very young country β schools have to be built quickly.
Everyday details π§
π Phone code
+254
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
π Websites end in
.ke
π§ People here are called
Kenyan
π·οΈ Name at home
Kenya
Also written: Republic of Kenya, Jamhuri ya Kenya.
π Coast or inland
Has a coastline
ποΈ UN voting group
African Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders π€
Kenya touches 5 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world π£οΈ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Kenia
French
Kenya
Arabic
ΩΩΩΩΨ§
Chinese
θ―ε°ΌδΊ
Japanese
γ±γγ’
Russian
ΠΠ΅Π½ΠΈΡ
Portuguese
QuΓ©nia
German
Kenia
Put it in perspective π
- Nigeria β the most populated country in Africa β has about 4.1Γ as many people as Kenya.
- Kenya covers roughly 5,527 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Kenya lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 28,766 km.
Country snapshot π
π₯ People
55 million people
πΊοΈ Size
580,367 kmΒ² β savannah, mountains and coastline
π£οΈ Languages
Swahili and English
π° Money
Kenyan shilling (KSh)
ποΈ Government
Presidential republic with 47 counties
ποΈ Leader
President
ποΈ United Nations
Joined the UN in 1963
πΌ Economy
Tea, flowers, tourism and mobile-money technology
π Climate promise
100% clean electricity by 2030 (already over 85%)
π School life
Primary and secondary school fees were removed so more kids can attend.
𧩠Biggest challenge
Droughts that dry up crops and water for animals.
β¨ Did you know?
Nairobi hosts the UN's global environment headquarters β the only one in Africa.
Who decides here? ποΈ
Presidential republic with a parliament and 47 counties
The President is commander-in-chief, but Kenya's 2010 constitution says parliament must approve any deployment of troops.
Flags through time π
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch Kenya change.
East Africa Protectorate
Kenya was ruled from Britain and flew a British colonial flag.
Colony of Kenya
Kenyans could not choose their own flag or their own laws β that is what independence movements fought to change.
Independent Kenya
Black is for the people, red for the blood of the struggle, green for the land, and the Maasai shield stands for defending freedom.
War room simulations βοΈ
Step into the room where the decision was made. You will see who really had the power β generals, a president, a parliament or a king β and what each choice cost.
The Mau Mau uprising
Kenyan fighters rebelled against British colonial rule and the taking of their farmland. The response was very harsh, and many thousands of Kenyans died or were detained.
Who was in the room? The people affected had no seats in the government making the decisions. That is exactly what the independence movement wanted to fix.
Sit in the decision room ποΈ
You will face 2 real moments. Choose, then see what actually happened.
Policies today π
One of the world's strictest plastic bag bans
Making, selling or even carrying a single-use plastic bag can bring a big fine. Shoppers use cloth or paper bags instead.
Electricity from volcanoes
Kenya taps hot underground steam in the Rift Valley. This geothermal power gives the country lots of clean electricity.
Paying by phone is normal
Rules made mobile money safe and easy, so people send cash by text message even without a bank account.
Fast facts π§
Fact of the day: Kenya is close to the line of 0Β° longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
π·οΈ Official name
Republic of Kenya
ποΈ Capital
Nairobi
π Region
Africa Β· Eastern Africa
π€ Country code
KE
ποΈ UN status
UN member state
π© Independence
Independent country
More about Kenya π
Maasai Mara
Every year over a million wildebeest cross into the Mara chasing rain and fresh grass β the largest land animal migration on Earth.
See it in Street Viewπ§ Where on the map
1.0Β° N, 38.0Β° E
π Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
π°οΈ Clock check
Roughly UTC+3 β when it is noon in London it is about 15:00 in Nairobi.
- π°πͺ is the flag of Kenya. Its country code β the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics β is KE.
- Kenya lies in the tropics, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, so the sun gets very high overhead.
- Kenya is close to the line of 0Β° longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
- Kenya is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
- Kenya sits in Eastern Africa, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
Countries nearby π€
Talk about it π¬
- Kenya has 2 official languages. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Kenya can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Kenya spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz π§ͺ
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Kenya?
Nairobi
Which money do people spend in Kenya?
Kenyan shilling (Sh)
How many countries share a land border with Kenya?
5 β Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.
Roughly how many people live in Kenya?
57.5 million people
Keep researching π
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further β and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here β kid-friendly encyclopedias π
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ποΈ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy π°
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card π«
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians β all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.