Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is the most economically empowered county in the East of Africa. With the population of Nairobi reaching over 3 million, there cannot be any more lively place in the East African country.
There are many interesting facts about Nairobi city which is also called the “green city in the sun”. The city came into existence in 1899 when it was founded as a rail depot by the British that quickly grew to become the top destination for tea and coffee. Are you a Kenyan, a foreigner living in Kenya or you are planning to make a trip to Nairobi, you can learn some of the most interesting facts about the city of Nairobi in this article.
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The city of Nairobi is located very close to Mombasa and Kampala at the coordinates of 1°17′S, 36°49′E, and occupies 696 square kilometres (270 sq mi). The Kenya Mountain is located at the northern end of Nairobi while Mount Kilimanjaro is at the south-eastern end.
Nairobi Map
Nairobi, which houses about 2,750,547 inhabitants, is situated at 1.28° South latitude, 36.82° East longitude and 1724 meters elevation above the sea level. You can discover more areas and places like restaurants, amusement centres, tourist sites and lots more with the help of the Nairobi map.
Maps are not only useful to geographers alone. They serve as an important tool for a clearer understanding of the surface of the earth to everyone. Like most cities in many countries, Nairobi has its map which explicitly shows its expressways, main roads and streets, and how to navigate them. Getting to know how to navigate ever-busy Nairobi will definitely help you in identifying the right place at the right time and ease up the stress of seeking help from ‘strangers’.
You can find out more about streets, roads, locations, markets, offices, firms, companies, high rising structures, expressways in Nairobi and more by simply clicking here.
Nairobi National Park
The Nairobi National Park Nairobi is the chief tourist attraction for visitors in Kenya. The park was established in 1946 and is located about 7 km south of the centre of Nairobi. There is an electric fence separating the park’s wildlife from the metropolis. On one hand, the closeness of the park to the city poses as a threat to the natural habitat of the wildlife and disrupts the migration route of the animals but on the other hand, the park has quite a variety of species.
Nairobi National Park comprises a 113 sq km of plains, cliffs, forest and is home to large herds of Zebra, Wildebeest, Buffalo, Giraffe and more. Rhino, Cheetah, and a large number of Lions are all found here, living wild within about 20-minute drive from the centre of the town.
The Central Park is located just close to Uhuru Park and includes a memorial monument for Jomo Kenyatta who was the first Kenyan president. Other notable open spaces include Jeevanjee Gardens, City Park, 7 August Memorial Park, and Nairobi Arboretum.
Nairobi Weather
The simple principle of climatology is that the higher you go, the cooler it becomes. Nairobi has the altitude that makes the weather cool, unlike most other African countries where the blazing heat of the sun is felt as if the sun is upset for some unknown reasons.
Nairobi’s temperature can be as low as 10 °C (50 °F) during the season in the months of June/July but between December and March, the weather becomes hot with temperatures averaging 24 °C (75 °F) making this period the hottest season in Nairobi and Kenya at large. You will need to take this into consideration if you are planning a trip to Nairobi.
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Interesting Facts About Nairobi City
1. Nairobi is home to the second largest slum in Africa called the Kibera slum: This slum has about 150,000 people living there, who live on less than a dollar per day. How they survive on such a negligible amount of income is still a mystery. It is estimated that the Kibera slum has one of the highest HIV/AIDS density in Kenya. With only very few schools which the inhabitants can hardly afford, literacy level is very low and assault and rape cases are quite high in the area.
2. Nairobi has a lot of amusement parks: True, Nairobi attracts lots of visitors due to its beautiful amusement parks. Among all the parks in Nairobi, the most popular one is the Uhuru Park which was opened to the general public by the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta on 23 May 1969. It contains an artificial lake, several monuments of national interest with an assembly ground that is sometimes used for outdoor events like rallies and speeches.
3. Nairobi boasts a good number of high-rise buildings: These buildings are sites to behold. Nevertheless, irrespective of the presence of these magnificent structures, a large number of people in the city have not compromised the beauty and availability of open spaces in the city surrounded by beautiful dense tree-cover.
4. Crime rate in Nairobi is quite high: This is not really a good one but it’s a bitter truth. The beautiful city of Nairobi houses criminals and hoodlums who engage in unpleasant and abhorrent activities. The crime rate in the city is so horrible that often times, the government of various countries warn their citizens to travel with care.
5. Nairobi is a major business hub in Kenya and East Africa: Despite the bad records this beautiful city holds as regards crime, it is the regional and national headquarters of various international businesses and organizations. Some mega companies which have their continental (African) headquarters in Nairobi include General Electric, Young & Rubicam, Google, Coca-Cola, Zain, Cisco Systems and many more. Nairobi is also a manufacturing city for products like building materials, processed foods, clothing and textiles, beverages, cigarettes, and so on.
6. Nairobi is home to Africa’s 4th largest stock-exchange, the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE).
7. The beautiful city also hosts the largest and oldest university in Kenya (The University of Nairobi) and the second largest institution in Kenya (The Kenyatta University).
