Home > Country Information > Geography

GEOGRAPHY OF KENYA

Topography: Located on the east coast of Africa, Kenya is situated astride the equator, transected from north to south by the great Rift Valley. It is bounded on the north by Ethiopia and Sudan, the east by the Indian Ocean and Somalia, the south by Tanzania, and the west by Uganda and Lake Victoria.
This striking country is a land of topographical and climatic variety. The northern three-fifths of the land is arid, semi-desert to desert. The south is temperate, dominated by a high, mountainous central plateau which levels out to a series of highlands and plains to the east and west. Mount Kenya, with its snow-capped summit, lies on the equator.

Area: 582,646 sq km (224,961 sq mi), slightly smaller than Texas, or the size of France.

Capital: Nairobi

Other major cities: Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Machakos, Eldoret, and Thika