The Great Rift Valley sweeps south from the Jordan Valley and the Red Sea, and through East Africa to Mozambique. The landscape reflects the ancient red soils of Gondwanaland, and the dynamic land includes new cracks that are splitting the African continental plate. Game parks today give some protection to spectacular wildlife including lions, elephants, giraffe, zebra and many migrating herds. The Rift Valley was home to the earliest humans and archaeological finds include bones and tools. Migrating Bantu and Nilotic peoples were impacted by Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf trading cultures in coastal cities such as Mombasa and Malindi, and European colonists in the wake of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. From the late 19th century, Kenya was part of British East Africa, with its capital at Nairobi. Roads, railway and farming are linked with the Kenyan Highlands and names like Karen von Blixen. Modern Kenya is a republic in the Commonwealth and with a development Vision 2030, including growth through manufacturing and tourism.

Topics

• The Rift Valley and early human migration

• Coastal communities and trading networks

• European empires and exploration

• Colonial Kenya and modern republic

Item added 5 October 2018

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