Capital: Nairobi
Area: 580.4 thousand sq. km
Population: 29.4 million (15.9% urban)
Adult literacy: 88.3% male, and 74.8% female
Per capita: US$ 360 / annum
Languages: English (official), Swahili (national), and several other languages spoken by 25 ethnic groups
Religion: Protestant, Roman Catholic, traditional, Islam, and others
Life expectancy: 51 years

Kenya, a British colony and protectorate, received independence in December 1963. Until 1992 Kenya remained a single party state. A Majority of Kenya?s population lives in rural areas relying on agriculture for their income. Kenya's costal beaches and varied wild life attract many tourists to the region, but the environment is constantly threatened with pollution, deforestation, poaching and desertification. Economic development in the country is stagnating with 42% of the population living below the poverty line. Political violence, inefficiency, corruption in the public sector, and hydroelectric power shortages has hindered economic development. Kenya's population growth continually exceeds its rate of economic growth. Kenya is also adversely affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic with nearly 2.1 million people estimated to be living with the disease. Development assistance to Kenya has decreased owing to a perception of poor governance and mismanagement of public resource.