United Arab Emirates (2001) | Kenya (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn | 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
28.86% (male 354,298; female 340,498) 15-64 years: 68.74% (male 1,047,839; female 607,020) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 40,626; female 17,179) (2001 est.) |
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.) |
Agriculture - products | dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish | coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs |
Airports | 40 (2000 est.) | 231 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
22 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.) |
total: 19
over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
18 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
total: 211
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 113 under 914 m: 83 (2002) |
Area | total:
82,880 sq km land: 82,880 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 582,650 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km water: 13,400 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maine | slightly more than twice the size of Nevada |
Background | The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the UAE. They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is not far below those of the leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed it to play a vital role in the affairs of the region. | Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence until his death in 1978, when current President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but are viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December of 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI of the Democratic Party of Kenya defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. |
Birth rate | 18.11 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 27.61 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$6.5 billion expenditures: $7.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $2.91 billion
expenditures: $2.97 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.) |
Capital | Abu Dhabi | Nairobi |
Climate | desert; cooler in eastern mountains | varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior |
Coastline | 1,318 km | 536 km |
Constitution | 2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996) | 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, and 2001 |
Country name | conventional long form:
United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States abbreviation: UAE |
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya former: British East Africa |
Currency | Emirati dirham (AED) | Kenyan shilling (KES) |
Death rate | 3.79 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 14.68 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $12.6 billion (2000 est.) | $8 billion (2001 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Theodore H. KATTOUF embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi; American Embassy Abu Dhabi, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6010 (pouch); note - work week is Saturday through Wednesday telephone: [971] (2) 4436691 FAX: [971] (2) 4435441 consulate(s) general: Dubai |
chief of mission: Ambassador Johnnie CARSON
embassy: US Embassy, P. O. Box 30137 Mombasa Road (near St. James Hospital), Nairobi mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831 telephone: [254] (2) 537-800 FAX: [254] (2) 537-810 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Asri Said Ahmad al-DHAHIRI chancery: Suite 700, 1255 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 955-7999 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Yusuf Abdulraham NZIBO
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829 consulate(s) general: offices in Los Angeles and New York are closed; mission to the UN remains open |
Disputes - international | location and status of boundary with Saudi Arabia is not final, de facto boundary reflects 1974 agreement; boundary with Oman has not been bilaterally defined; northern section in the Musandam Peninsula is an administrative boundary; claims two islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by Iran: Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with Iran (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran) - over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island; the UAE has garnered significant diplomatic support in the region in protesting these Iranian actions | since colonial times, Kenya's administrative boundary has extended beyond its treaty boundary into Sudan creating the "Ilemi Triangle"; arms smuggling and Oromo rebel activities prompt strict border regime with Somalia |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $457 million (1997) (1997) |
Economy - overview | The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for more than 100 years. Despite higher oil revenues in 1999-2000, the government has not drawn back from the economic reforms implemented during the 1998 oil price depression. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private-sector involvement. | Kenya, the regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, is hampered by corruption and reliance upon several primary goods whose prices continue to decline. Following strong economic growth in 1995 and 1996, Kenya's economy has stagnated, with GDP growth failing to keep up with the rate of population growth. In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems, causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output. As a result, GDP contracted by 0.3% in 2000. The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1%, and Kenya is unlikely to see growth above 2% in 2002. Substantial IMF and other foreign support is essential to prevent a further decline in real per capita output. |
Electricity - consumption | 34.131 billion kWh (1999) | 4.433 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 140 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 36.7 billion kWh (1999) | 4.616 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 22%
hydro: 70% nuclear: 0% other: 8% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m |
Environment - current issues | lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills | 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, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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 |
Ethnic groups | Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982) |
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1% |
Exchange rates | Emirati dirhams per US dollar - central bank mid-point rate: 3.6725 (since 1998); 3.6711 (1997), 3.6710 (1995-96) | Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 78.597 (January 2002), 78.563 (2001), 76.176 (2000), 70.326 (1999), 60.367 (1998), 58.732 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2 December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 6 August 1966) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai); Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) which is composed of the seven emirate rulers; the council is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation, Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power; meets four times a year elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC (a group of seven electors) for five-year terms; election last held NA October 1996 (next to be held NA October 2001); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan reelected president; percent of FSC vote - NA, but believed to be unanimous; MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum elected vice president; percent of FSC vote - NA%, but believed to be unanimous |
chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002) and Vice President Michael Kijana WAMALWA (since 3 January 2003) note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002) and Vice President Michael Kijana WAMALWA (since 3 January 2003) note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2007); vice president appointed by the president election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30% |
Exports | $46 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $1.8 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates | tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement |
Exports - partners | Japan 30%, India 7%, Singapore 6%, South Korea 4%, Oman, Iran (1999) | UK 13.5%, Tanzania 12.5%, Uganda 12.0%, Germany 5.5% (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side | three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $54 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $31 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
3% industry: 52% services: 45% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 24%
industry: 13% services: 63% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $22,800 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4% (2000 est.) | 1% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 24 00 N, 54 00 E | 1 00 N, 38 00 E |
Geography - note | strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil | 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 |
Heliports | 2 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
4,835 km paved: 4,835 km unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.) |
total: 63,300 km
paved: 8,940 km unpaved: 54,360 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 37% (2000) |
Illicit drugs | growing role as heroin transshipment and money-laundering center due to its proximity to southwest Asian producing countries and the bustling free trade zone in Dubai | widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status as a regional financial center, massive corruption, and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities |
Imports | $34 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $3.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food | machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics |
Imports - partners | Japan 9%, US 8%, UK 8%, Italy 6%, Germany, South Korea (1999) | UK 12%, UAE 9.8%, Japan 6.5%, India 4.4% (2000) |
Independence | 2 December 1971 (from UK) | 12 December 1963 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4% (2000) | -0.7% (2001 est.) |
Industries | petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling | small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products processing; oil refining, cement; tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 16.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 67.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.5% (2000 est.) | 3.3% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 65 (2001) |
Irrigated land | 50 sq km (1993 est.) | 670 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) | Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court |
Labor force | 1.4 million (1998 est.)
note: 75% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.) |
10 million (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | services 60%, industry 32%, agriculture 8% (1996 est.) | agriculture 75%-80% |
Land boundaries | total:
867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km |
total: 3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 0% other: 98% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 7.03%
permanent crops: 0.91% other: 92.06% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu | English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages |
Legal system | federal court system introduced in 1971; all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah have joined the federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts | based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991 |
Legislative branch | unicameral Federal National Council or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms)
elections: none note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto |
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called "nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members)
elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held by early 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio 2; seats appointed by the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
74.29 years male: 71.84 years female: 76.86 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 47.02 years
male: 46.2 years female: 47.85 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.2% male: 78.9% female: 79.8% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.1% male: 86.3% female: 70% (1995 est.) |
Location | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia | Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania |
Map references | Middle East | Africa |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total:
70 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,094,256 GRT/1,421,333 DWT ships by type: cargo 16, chemical tanker 3, container 17, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 24, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,893 GRT/6,320 DWT
ships by type: petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, paramilitary (includes Federal Police Force) | Army, Navy, Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.6 billion (FY00) | $179.2 million (FY01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.1% (FY00) | 1.8% (FY01) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
778,842 note: includes non-nationals (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 7,938,865 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
420,484 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 4,915,090 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
25,482 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Independence Day, 2 December (1971) | Independence Day, 12 December (1963) |
Nationality | noun:
Emirati(s) adjective: Emirati |
noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan |
Natural hazards | frequent sand and dust storms | recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas | gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 1.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -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.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural gas liquids, 870 km | petroleum products 483 km |
Political parties and leaders | none | Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Kimaniwa NYOIKE, chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition or NARC [Mwai KIBAKI] - the governing party |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political parties and nongovernment organizations [Kivutha KIBWANA]; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Mutava MUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY, chairman] |
Population | 2,407,460
note: includes 1,576,472 non-nationals (July 2001 est.) |
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.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 50% (2000 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.59% (2001 est.) | 1.15% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn | Kisumu, Lamu, Mombasa |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 13, FM 7, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001) |
Radios | 820,000 (1997) | 3.07 million (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total: 2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge note: the line connecting Nairobi with the port of Mombasa is the most important in the country |
Religions | Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4% | Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.73 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.36 male(s)/female total population: 1.5 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | none | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
modern system consisting of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia |
general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize except for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat |
Telephones - main lines in use | 915,223 (1998) | 310,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1 million (1999) | 540,000 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 15 (1997) | 8 (2002) |
Terrain | flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east | low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west |
Total fertility rate | 3.23 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3.34 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 40% (2001 est.) |
Waterways | none | NA
note: part of the Lake Victoria system is within the boundaries of Kenya |