KENYA GEOGRAPHY Total area: 582,650 km2; land area: 569,250 km2 Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada Land boundaries: 3,477 km total; Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km Coastline: 536 km Maritime claims: Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with international boundary; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis Climate: varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west Natural resources: gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barytes, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 4%; other 85%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; glaciers on Mt. Kenya Note: Kenyan Highlands one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa PEOPLE Population: 25,241,978 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991) Birth rate: 45 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 69 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 64 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Kenyan(s); adjective--Kenyan Ethnic divisions: Kikuyu 21%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 11%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, Asian, European, and Arab 1% Religion: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs 26%, Muslim 6% Language: English and Swahili (official); numerous indigenous languages Literacy: 69% (male 80%, female 58%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 9.2 million (includes unemployed); the total employed is 1.37 million (14.8% of the labor force); services 54.8%, industry 26.2%, agriculture 19.0% (1989) Organized labor: 390,000 (est.) GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Republic of Kenya Type: republic Capital: Nairobi Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North-Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK; formerly British East Africa) Constitution: 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, and 1988 Legal system: based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment in 1982 made Kenya a de jure one-party state National holiday: Independence Day, 12 December (1963) Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Bunge) Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, High Court Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Daniel Teroitich arap MOI (since 14 October 1978); Vice President George SAITOTI (since 10 May 1989) Political parties and leaders: only party--Kenya African National Union (KANU), Daniel T. arap MOI, president Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: President--last held on 21 March 1988 (next to be held by March 1993); results--President Daniel T. arap MOI was reelected; National Assembly--last held on 21 March 1988 (next to be held by March 1993); results--KANU is the only party; seats--(202 total, 188 elected) KANU 200 Communists: may be a few Communists and sympathizers Other political or pressure groups: labor unions; exile opposition--Mwakenya and other groups Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Denis Daudi AFANDE; Chancery at 2249 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 387-6101; there are Kenyan Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York; US--Ambassador Smith HEMPSTONE, Jr.; Embassy at the corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi (mailing address is P. O. Box 30137, Nairobi or APO New York 09675); telephone 254 (2) 334141; there is a US Consulate in Mombasa Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center ECONOMY Overview: A serious underlying economic problem is Kenya's 3.6% annual population growth rate--one of the highest in the world. In the meantime, GDP growth in the near term has kept slightly ahead of population--annually averaging 4.9% in the 1986-90 period. Undependable weather conditions and a shortage of arable land hamper long-term growth in agriculture, the leading economic sector. GDP: $8.5 billion, per capita $360; real growth rate 4% (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.9% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: NA%, but there is a high level of unemployment and underemployment Budget: revenues $2.0 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY89) Exports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--tea 25%, coffee 21%, petroleum products 7% (1989); partners--EC 44%, Africa 25%, Asia 5%, US 5%, Middle East 4% (1988) Imports: $2.4 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--machinery and transportation equipment 29%, petroleum and petroleum products 15%, iron and steel 7%, raw materials, food and consumer goods (1989 est.); partners--EC 45%, Asia 11%, Middle East 12%, US 5% (1988) External debt: $5.8 billion (December 1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 5.4% (1989 est.); accounts for 17% of GDP Electricity: 730,000 kW capacity; 2,700 million kWh produced, 110 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural processing, oil refining, cement, tourism Agriculture: most important sector, accounting for 29% of GDP, about 80% of the work force, and over 50% of exports; cash crops--coffee, tea, sisal, pineapple; food products--corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables, dairy products; food output not keeping pace with population growth Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis used mostly for domestic consumption; widespread cultivation of cannabis and qat on small plots; transit country for heroin and methaqualone en route from Southwest Asia to West Africa, Western Europe, and the US Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $839 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $6.7 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $74 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $83 million Currency: Kenyan shilling (plural--shillings); 1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1--24.427 (January 1991), 22.915 (1990), 20.572 (1989), 17.747 (1988), 16.454 (1987), 16.226 (1986), 16.432 (1985) Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 2,040 km 1.000-meter gauge Highways: 64,590 km total; 7,000 km paved, 4,150 km gravel, remainder improved earth Inland waterways: part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya; principal inland port is at Kisumu Pipelines: refined products, 483 km Ports: Mombasa, Lamu Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft Airports: 249 total, 213 usable; 22 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 47 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: in top group of African systems; consists of radio relay links, open-wire lines, and radiocommunication stations; 260,000 telephones; stations--11 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTLESAT DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General Service Unit of the Police Manpower availability: males 15-49, 5,444,247; 3,362,290 fit for military service; no conscription Defense expenditures: $100 million, 1.0% of GDP (1989 est.)