Intro One of the largest cities in Africa, the Kenyan capital Nairobi is located at latitude 1° 16' South and longitude 30° 53' East and occupies around 150 sq km. It is situated about 1660 m (5450 ft) above sea level.
Nairobi's name comes from the Maasai Enkarenairobi, meaning, "cool waters". It has a population of around 2.5 million. The main languages spoken are Swahili and English.
Nairobi is a comparatively young city, founded only a hundred odd years ago in 1899. it was initially meant to be a supply depot for the Uganda Railway which was constructing the rail way line between Mombasa and Uganda. It was totally rebuilt in the early 1900s after an outbreak of plague and the burning of the original town. The settlement continued to grow after that. It became the capital of the British East African Protectorate in 1907 and the capital of the Kenya, when it became an independent nation in 1963.
The city's population is cosmopolitan. Apart from the local inhabitants who belong to various ethnic tribes, there is a generous sprinkling of Indians, Arabs and Europeans. Because of this cultural intermingling, most Nairobians speak more than one language.
Nairobi is unique in having a protected game reserve, Nairobi National Park, within its borders. Nairobi also has more species of birds than any other capital city in the world.
The city is served by Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Eastleigh Airport was the original landing strip in the pre-jet airline era. It was used in a landing point on the 1930s and 1940s British passenger and mail route from Southampton to Cape Town. This route was served by flying boats between Britain and Kisumu and then by land-based aircraft on the routes to the south.
Points of Interest Nairobi National Park, tranquil and green, nestles close to the bustling city of Nairobi. It is a large wildlife preserve with diverse variety of flora and fauna and is a major tourist attraction.
Another point of interest is the National Museum of Kenya, known for a display on early humans in Africa
Other tourist attractions are: Parliament buildings; the law courts; City Hall; McMillan Memorial Library; the busy Municipal Market and nearby bazaar; the Kenya National Theatre; and Sorsbie Art Gallery.
