Kenya

Home> Countries> Africa> Kenya

Country Name

Kenya, or officially the Republic of Kenya.

Location

Kenya is located in Eastern Africa. Kenya is bordered by the Indian Ocean, Somalia to the east, Ethiopia to the north, South Sudan and Uganda to the west, and Tanzania to the south.

Capital

Nairobi.

The reason for naming the country

The Republic of Kenya is named after Mount Kenya. The earliest recorded version of the modern name was written by German explorer Johann Ludwig Krapf in the 19th century. While traveling with a Kamba caravan led by the legendary long-distance trader Chief Kivoi, Krapf spotted the mountain peak and asked what it was called. Kivoi told him "Kĩ-Nyaa" or "Kĩĩma- Kĩĩnyaa", probably because the pattern of black rock and white snow on its peaks reminded him of the feathers of the male ostrich. The Agikuyu, who inhabit the slopes of Mt. Kenya, call it Kĩrĩma Kĩrĩnyaga in Kikuyu, while the Embu call it "Kirenyaa". All three names have the same meaning.

Flag

The Kenyan flag was adopted on December 12, 1963, after gaining independence from Britain.

The flag of Kenya consists of three horizontal stripes: black; red; and green. The red stripe in the middle is bordered on the top and bottom by a thin white stripe. There is an emblem in the center of the flag that consists of a Masai warrior's shield and spears.

The black color represents the African people; the red color stands for the struggle for independence, The green color represents Kenya's agriculture and natural resources, and The white color represents peace and unity.

The central emblem represents Kenya's fight for freedom and its preparedness to defend that freedom.