warmer in the north and cooler in
the highlands.
Plants and Animals
Evergreen forests and bamboo grow in
the highlands. East and west of the highlands,
low trees grow among grass.
Thorn bushes and baobab trees dot the
dry landscape of the north. The coast is
mainly grassland with some forests.
Some of the rarest wildlife in the world
lives in Kenya. The country’s animals
include elephants, rhinoceroses, lions,
leopards, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras,
impalas, hyenas, hippos, and crocodiles.
Many national parks and game reserves
protect the wildlife.
Workers dry coffee on racks in Nyeri, Kenya.
58 Kenya BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
People
The people of Kenya belong to many
different ethnic groups. The largest
groups are the Kikuyu, the Luhya, the
Luo, the Kalenjin, and the Kamba.
There are also groups of nomads, or
wanderers, such as the Masai. Each
group has its own language and culture.
Most people also speak English or Swahili
as a second language.
The most common religion is Christianity.
Smaller groups of people follow
Islam or traditional African religions.
Most Kenyans live in rural areas, but
cities have grown rapidly since the early
1970s. Nairobi is the largest city.
Economy
Most Kenyans are farmers who grow
crops for their families. Corn is the main
food crop. Kenya also grows tea, flowers,
and coffee to sell to other countries.
Manufacturers make flour from grains
and sugar from sugarcane. They also
produce beverages, petroleum (oil) products,
cloth, paper, cement, and leather.
Tourism is an important part of Kenya’s
economy. Many tourists visit Kenya to
see its wildlife or to visit its beautiful
beaches.
History
For centuries African people along
Kenya’s coast traded with Arabs from
across the Indian Ocean. Europeans
arrived in the area in the 1800s. By the
1890s the British had taken control of
Kenya. They made it a British colony in
1920.
The British encouraged white people
from Great Britain and South Africa to
settle in Kenya. The British set aside
much of the colony’s land for whites. As
a result, the native people of Kenya grew
angry at the British. In 1952 they began
a rebellion. A group called the Mau Mau
led the struggle. The British stopped the
Mau Mau rebellion in 1960. But the
people of Kenya continued to push for
freedom. Kenya became an independent
country in 1963.
After independence, Kenya had a strong
government. It banned political parties
that disagreed with it. Other countries
criticized the government’s actions. In
1992 Kenya held its first elections since
the 1960s with candidates from more
than one political party. After that, Kenya’s
government improved.
..More to explore
Nairobi
Impalas graze in Nairobi National Park in
Kenya.
Facts About
KENYA
Population
(2008 estimate)
37,954,000
Area
224,961 sq mi
(582,646 sq km)
Capital
Nairobi
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Nairobi, Mombasa,
Kisumu,
Nakuru, Eldoret,
Machacos
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kenya 59
Key, Francis
Scott
Many citizens of the United States know
the words to the most famous song written
by Francis Scott Key, “The Star-
Spangled Banner.” Key wrote the song
during theWar of 1812. It later became
the U.S. national anthem.
Key was born in western Maryland on
August 1, 1779. He studied at home
until age 10. He then went to school in
Annapolis. Later he studied law at St.
John’s College. After graduating, Key set
up a law practice in Georgetown, in
what is nowWashington, D.C.
In August 1814, during the War of 1812
between the United States and Great
Britain, the British set fire to the Capitol
and other buildings inWashington,
D.C. Afterward they captured a friend
of Key’s namedWilliam Beanes. As a
lawyer, Key went to ask the British to
free Beanes. The British agreed but held
both men on a ship overnight.
During the night Key watched the British
attack Fort McHenry, which guarded
Baltimore, Maryland. At dawn Key saw
the U.S. flag still flying over the fort. It
had not fallen to the British. Relieved,
Key began to write a poem about the
battle.
Key published the poem under the title
“Defence of Fort M’Henry.” People
soon began singing the poem to the
tune of an English drinking song, “To
Anacreon in Heaven.” The song, now
called “The Star-Spangled Banner,”
became popular across the country. The
U.S. Army and Navy later used it as
their anthem.
In 1833 Key became an attorney for the
District of Columbia. He also kept writing.
He published The Power of Literature
and Its Connection with Religion in
1834. Poems appeared in 1857, long
after Key’s death in Baltimore on January
11, 1843. In 1931 the U.S. Congress
made “The Star-Spangled Banner”
the national anthem.
#More to explore
National Anthem •War of 1812
Keys, Florida
#see Florida Keys.
The first printed sheet music of Francis Scott
Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner”
appeared in 1814.
60 Key, Francis Scott BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Khartoum
Population
(1993 census),
city, 947,483;
(2008
estimate), urban
area,
8,000,000
Khartoum is the capital of Sudan, a
country in northeastern Africa. The city
lies where the Blue and White Nile rivers
meet to form the main stream of the
Nile River. Two other cities, Omdurman
