Hello Students:
Today, we will continue our investigation of Kenya with a web quest. read the article below and answer the following questions in your social studies notebook.
Kenya
Kenya <
Land
Kenya's coastal area is hot and humid. Beautiful sandy beaches, swamps, and patches of rain forest line the coast. Inland, huge grassy plains stretch over most of the land. This area of scattered bushes, shrubs, and grasses is the driest part of Kenya. A highland region of mountains, valleys, and high, flat plains rises in the southwest. Forests and grasslands cover much of this region. The highland has good farmland, and most of Kenya's people live there.
Kenya is famous for its wildlife. Its plains and highlands are home to antelope, buffaloes, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, leopards, lions, rhinoceroses, and zebras. Crocodiles and hippopotamuses live where there is plenty of water. Many large birds, such as eagles, ostriches, and storks, and dozens of species of small, brightly colored birds also live in Kenya.
People
Farm in central Kenya
Almost all Kenya's people are black Africans. They belong to about 40 different ethnic groups. These groups speak different languages and have many different ways of life. Kenyans value large families. Many Kenyan families have six or more children.
Most of Kenya's people live in the rural areas, or the countryside. The rest live in cities and towns. Most of the rural people live on small farm settlements. They raise crops and animals for a living. A small number of people are nomads who move from place to place in search of grazing land and water for their animals. Most city people work in stores, factories, and business or government offices.
Resources and Products
Manufacturing is growing in importance in Kenya. At present, more Kenyans work as farmers than in any other type of job. Coffee and tea are the most important money-making crops. About one-third of the nation's income comes from farming. Service industries, such as banking, government, tourism, and trade, are also important.
Tourism is a major source of money for Kenya. Thousands of tourists visit Kenya every year. They come to enjoy its scenic coast and especially to see its amazing wildlife.
History
Scientists have found the bones of some of the earliest known human beings in Kenya. The scientists think that people probably lived there about 2 million years ago.
About 3,000 years ago, people from other parts of Africa began moving into the Kenya area. These groups became the ancestors of today's Kenyans. They included farmers, herders, and hunters.
Traders from Arabia came to Kenya's coast about 2,000 years ago. Arabs took control of the coastal area in the 700's and ruled it for hundreds of years.
The British ruled Kenya from 1895 to 1963. They set up schools in Kenya like the schools in the United Kingdom, and many Europeans started large farms in Kenya.
In 1963, Kenya became independent, or free from British rule. Since independence, the leaders of Kenya have encouraged people from the country's many ethnic groups to join together as Kenyans.
"Kenya." World Book Kids World Book, 2010. Web. 5 Dec. 2010.
Questions
1) Kenya is a country on the _______ of ________.
2) The weather in Kenya's coastal area is _______ and _______.
3) Inland, __________ stretch over most of the land.
4) Kenya is famous for its wildlife. Which animals live on its plains and highlands? Which animals live where there is plenty of water?
5) Almost all Kenya's people are ______ Africans.
6) Many Kenyan families have _______ or more children.
7) Most of Kenya's people live in the _______ areas, or the ________. The rest live in _____ and _________.
8) At present, more Kenyans work as ________ than in any other type of job.
9) Thousands of _________ visit Kenya every year.
10) In 1963, Kenya became ___________, or free from British rule.
