<text><span class="style42"></span><span class="style12">KENYA</span><span class="style14"></span><span class="style42">Official names:</span><span class="style13"> Jamhuri ya Kenya and Republic of Kenya</span><span class="style42">Member of: </span><span class="style13">UN, OAU, Commonwealth</span><span class="style42">Area: </span><span class="style13">582646 km2 (224961 sq mi)</span><span class="style42">Population: </span><span class="style13">28110000 (1993 est)</span><span class="style42">Capital: </span><span class="style13">Nairobi 1505000 (including suburbs; 1990 est)</span><span class="style42">Other major cities:</span><span class="style13"> Mombasa 426000, Kisumu 167000, Nakuru 102000 (1985 est)</span><span class="style42">Languages: </span><span class="style13">Swahili (official), English, Kikuyu (21%), Luhya (14%), Luo (11%), with over 200 tribal languages</span><span class="style42">Religions: </span><span class="style13">Roman Catholic (27%), Independent African Churches (27%), various Protestant Churches (19%), animist (19%)</span><span class="style42">GOVERNMENT</span><span class="style13">The President and 188 members of the 200-member National Assembly are elected by universal adult suffrage every five years. The remaining Assembly members, the Vice President and the Cabinet of Ministers are appointed by the President.</span><span class="style42">GEOGRAPHY</span><span class="style13">The steep-sided Rift Valley divides the highlands that run from north to south through central Kenya. The highest peak, Mount Kenya, rises to 5199 m (17058 ft). Plateau extend in the west to Lake Victoria and in the east to coastal lowlands. </span><span class="style42">Climate: </span><span class="style13">The coastal areas have a hot and humid equatorial climate. The highlands ΓÇô which are cooler ΓÇô experience high rainfall. The north is very hot and arid.</span><span class="style42">ECONOMY</span><span class="style13">Over 75% of the labor force is involved in agriculture. Major crops include wheat and maize for domestic consumption, and coffee, tea, sisal and sugar cane for export. Large numbers of beef cattle are reared, and Kenya is one of the few states in black Africa to have a major dairy industry. Tourism is an important source of foreign currency. </span><span class="style42">Currency: </span><span class="style13">Kenya shilling.</span><span class="style42">HISTORY</span><span class="style13">Arabs established coastal settlements from the 7th century, and the Portuguese were active on the Kenyan coast from 1498 until the 17th century, when they were evicted by the Arabs. The varied black African peoples of the area were brought forcibly under British rule in 1895 in the East African Protectorate, which became the colony of Kenya in 1920. White settlement in the highlands was bitterly resented by the Africans ΓÇô particularly the Kikuyu ΓÇô whose land was taken. Racial discrimination and attacks on African customs also created discontent. Black protest movements emerged in the 1920s and, after 1945, developed into nationalism, led by Jomo Kenyatta (c. 1893ΓÇô1978), who in 1947 became the first president of the Kenya African Union. When the violent Mau Mau rising ΓÇô which involved mainly Kikuyu people ΓÇô broke out (1952ΓÇô56), Kenyatta was held responsible and was imprisoned on doubtful evidence (1953ΓÇô61). After the British had crushed the Mau Mau revolt in a bloody campaign, they negotiated with Kenyatta and the other nationalists. Independence, under KenyattaΓÇÖs KANU party, followed in 1963. His moderate leadership and pro-capitalist policies were continued by his successor, Daniel arap Moi. Considerable restrictions on political activity followed an attempted military coup (1982). From 1969 to 1991, KANU was the only legal political party, but multi-party elections were held in 1993.</span></text>