Nairobi city is the financial and administrative capital province of Kenya, located in Eastern Africa 100 degrees North, 38 degrees East. It was founded in the late 1890s when the Kenya-Uganda railway reached a point at which the indigenous Maasai people called Uaso Nyirobi, Maasai term used to mean ‘the place of sweet waters’. This is where the Maasai used to bring their livestock to graze and drink water. The ‘Green City in the Sun’ came into being due to the railway line that was being built, and it offered a midway between the famous Indian Ocean port of Mombasa and Kisumu on Lake Victoria. It was turned into the headquarters of the historic project designed to open the interior of the region for increased trade and commerce. From 1899 to 1905 it served as a British provincial capital. When Kenya gained its independence in 1963, Nairobi remained the capital city of the new republic marking a new period of rapid growth which has turned the city one of Africa’s leading regional centers. The cool weather conditions with little or no extremes are envied all over the world. It is a large, modern commercial and international business and tourist centre. There are many churches, mosques and temples where people of different faiths go to worship. There are restaurants which serve almost every kind of food, from local dishes to the most exotic. Nairobi is a major urban centre which boasts of having animal parks with all sorts of wildlife situated within a few miles from the city centre therefore making it a lucrative tourist attraction town.
Nairobi is a city, financial capital, administrative capital, province and the capital of Kenya. The National Assembly, the Law Courts, the Office of the President and the City Hall are to be found in the city centre. Many countries have diplomatic missions, embassies or trade offices in Nairobi.
Nairobi is an international business and tourist centre, and people of many cultures live and work there. The main languages spoken here are Swahili and English which are the two national languages. There are many churches, mosques and temples where people of different faiths go to worship. Restaurants serve almost every kind of food, from local dishes to the most exotic. Curries from India and Pakistan are very popular as is Chinese, Arabian and European cuisine.
City shops include supermarkets, small shops and market stalls spread throughout the city. Some modern shopping malls have been built over the last few years but despite the popularity of these malls, small businesses still thrive in the city centre and in the suburbs.
In and out of the city, residential areas sprawl for many kilometers on all sides of Nairobi. Houses range from handsome mansions set in large gardens to crowded rows of maisonettes, four-storey blocks of flats, and shacks made of boxes and plastic sheets.
There are many vehicles in Nairobi as most people have their own personal cars to get them to work. For those who do not have their own transport, There are many public transport vehicles ranging from the corporate owned Stagecoach Bus Services to the individually owned minibuses known as Matatus. Matatus help a lot to alleviate the transport problems in the city and to the suburbs.
The road from the airport passes between Nairobi National Park and the industrial area. The park is fenced on the city side, but wild animals wander freely in and out of the other side by crossing the River Athi. Monkeys and baboons are not an uncommon site on this road. In Nairobi, and elsewhere in Kenya, most factories are small, making items such as vehicle tires, beer, chocolates, textiles and plastic products. There are also self employed craftsmen who work by the side of the road, these small enterprises are known as Jua Kali meaning “Hot Sun”. They hammer scrap metal into boxes, buckets, or charcoal-burning stoves. The people in this industry are very creative and the locals support them by buying their comparably less expensive products. This sector also provides employment for many young people.
