Kenya’s varied landforms, seascapes and landscapes give the country its unique climate, beauty, identity, culture and heritage. These include the coastline, coral reefs, freshwater and salty lakes, savannah grasslands, snow-capped mountain peaks, extinct volcanoes, forests, rivers, lakes, wildlife and fertile soils
| The Great Rift Valley
Estimated to have formed some 20 million years ago, the Great Rift Valley, as it was named by Scottish explorer and geologist John Walter Gregory, is one of the world’s most breathtaking and awesome natural phenomena. The Rift, like the Great Wall of China, is visible from space.
The uneven floor of the Rift Valley with its numerous depressions houses lakes Nakuru (home of the flamingoes), Naivasha (around which are some of Kenya’s most lavish flower farms), Bogoria (with its hot springs), Turkana (also known as the Jade Sea because of the colour of its water) and Magadi (well-known for soda).
At Lake Naivasha, the cliffs of the Rift Valley rise to 1,900 metres (6,232 feet)
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and then descend to 580 metres as the Great Rift heads into Tanzania. The Rift Valley is at its lowest near Lake Turkana, where there is virtually no distinction between it and the surrounding desert.
Some of the richest soils in Kenya which form the best farmlands of wheat, maize and tea are found in the Rift Valley as are the driest parts of the country.
The Rift Valley is home to most of Kenya’s fossil record. The sites where this fossil record is found are significant tourist attractions.
Kenya’s fossil record begins at 7 million years, which makes the country the only one in the world — apart from Ethiopia — with the longest human origins record.
The Rift Valley is regarded as the hot spot of evolution, with hundreds of documented sites preserving the physical and cultural evolution of the human species and its ancestors.
| Mt Kenya
Peaking at 5,199 metres (17,000 feet), Mt Kenya is Kenya’s highest mountain and the second highest in Africa. Its three snowcapped peaks — Batian, Lenana and Nelion — give the mountain a distinctive look. It was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. The mountain supplies over 7 million people with water and attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Nicknamed the Mountain of the Breast or
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Mountain of Illusion, Mt Elgon, Kenya’s second highest mountain is cut into two by the Kenya/Uganda border. Its highest peak (4,155 metres) in Kenya is named Koitoboss. Mt Elgon is a water catchment area for the River Nzoia, which drains into Lake Victoria, and the River Turkwel, which drains into Lake Turkana. It is home to Mt Elgon National Park.
| Mt Longonot
It hosts a caldera — a large hole at the top — and is volcanic. It is part of the Mt Longonot National Park, which is home to varied and valued animal species, including zebra and giraffe. The crater’s floor is covered in forest made up mainly of small trees. Mt Longonot is believed to emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
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Mt Suswa
Shaped like a shield, volcanic Suswa, like Mt Longonot, is found in the Rift Valley.
The Aberdares
They are a volcanic range that runs for about 100 kilometres and forms the eastern wall of the Great Rift Valley. The highest peaks, Ol Donyo Lesatima (3,999 metres) and Kinangop (3,906 metres), are separated by moorland at 3,000 metres. The range is a water catchment for the Tana and Athi rivers, which flow into the Indian Ocean and are a source of most of Kenya’s hydropower.
| River Tana
Covering 440 miles, it is Kenya’s longest river. On the Tana are found most of Kenya’s hydro-power stations.
River Sabaki
The Athi-Galana-Sabaki is Kenya’s second longest river, covering 390 kilometres.
River Ewaso Ng’iro
Some call it the Ewaso Nyiro.
Lake Victoria
This is a freshwater lake. It is the world’s second largest freshwater lake by area after Lake Superior (between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of Minnesota), which makes it Africa’s largest freshwater body. Lake Victoria covers the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It is the source of the River Nile.
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Kenya’s Heritage Sites
They include the Vasco da Gama Pillar in Malindi, Fort Jesus in Mombasa (both of which were built by the Portuguese circa 15th Century), the Ruins of Pate Island in Lamu and the Ruins of the Fort at Siyu, also on Pate Island.
Faith-based sites include St Paul’s Church in Rabai, the Methodist Church in Mazeras and Emmanuel Church in Frere Town, Mombasa.
The rocks feature the Weeping Stone of Kakamega and Kit Mikayi (Stone of the Elder Wife) in Bondo.
| Forests of Kenya
Kakamega Forest
With over 300 bird and 400 varieties of butterfly it is reputed as Kenya’s most fascinating destination for butterfly and bird lovers. It is found in western Kenya.
Aberdares Forest
Has a wealth of wildlife, including elephant, rhino, waterbuck, reedbuck, wild pig, dik dik and the increasingly rare mountain bongo.
Arabuko Sokoke Forest
Gazetted in 1943 as a protected area and as a strict nature reserve in 1960, it is the largest existing portion of the tropical rain
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forest that covered a great part of East Africa. It is found at the coast.
Shimba Hills Forest
Also found at the coast, it has unique vegetation consisting of rain forests and grasslands broken by woodlands and costal bushes.
| Famous Wildlife
Elephant (the stately giant), rhino (weighs a ton or 2,240 pounds, gives impression of being armour-plated), hippo (nocturnal herbivore with king-size mouth and bite), buffalo (fiery temper), lion (king of the jungle), giraffe (tallest of them all), zebra (of the famous stripes), wildebeest (nicknamed clown of the wild), flamingo (pretty in pink), crocodile (survived the dinosaurs), cheetah (primed for speed), leopard (known for stealth, speed and surprise), hyena (bonecrusher extraordinaire) and many more.
SOURCE:
Guide to Kenya’s National Heritage and Culture, published by the Government of Kenya, Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture and printed by the Kenya Literature Bureau in 2009, Kenya: Portrait of a Country, published for the Central Bank of Kenya in 2008 by
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Transafrica Press and Best of Kenya Volume I.
