in interior

Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift
Valley; fertile plateau in west

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point:
Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Natural resources: gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites, rubies,
fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 1% other: 92% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 670 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

Environment - current issues: water pollution from urban and industrial
wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and
fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation;
soil erosion; desertification; poaching

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but
not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most
successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found
on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports
abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value

People Kenya

Population: 31,138,735 note: estimates for this country explicitly take
into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result
in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population
by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.1% (male 6,462,430; female 6,327,457)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 8,769,546; female 8,694,329) 65 years and over:
2.8% (male 385,361; female 499,612) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.15% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 27.61 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 14.68 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: according
to UNHCR, by the end of 2001 Kenya was host to 220,000 refugees from
neighboring countries, including: Somalia 145,000 and Sudan 68,000
(2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.77 male