2020 Travel the World - Week 40

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...

Kenya

Kenya is a country in Eastern Africa. It is bordered by South Sudan to the northwest, Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, Uganda to the west, Tanzania to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the southeast.

Kenya is comparable in size to the state of Texas.

The country is home to 43.5 million people, while its capital city of Nairobi (the largest city in the country) is home to 3.1 million people

There are 68 different languages spoken in Kenya. The official language is Swahili.

The country is named after Mt. Kenya, which is the highest point in the country and is 17,057 feet high.

Kenya doesn't have a middle class. Their citizens are either very rich or living below the poverty line.

Over half of the country's population lives in poverty.

Agriculture employs over 75% of Kenya's citizens.

The Fourteen Falls in Thika is one of the longest and steepest waterfalls in Africa.

Some of Kenya's forests contain some of the rarest snake and butterfly species in the world.

Most Kenyans sleep under a mosquito tent in order to keep from getting bit. Many diseases can be transferred by mosquito bites, so sleeping under a net is also a safety precaution.

Kenya is famous for its Crying Stone in Kakamega - a unique, tall stone (around 7 feet tall), that produces a streak of water that makes it appear like it is crying. Local scientists have failed to understand what causes these droplets of water that appear like tears.

Greetings in Kenya are a fabric of their social and cultural life. Whenever people meet, irrespective of whether they are acquaintances, they must greet each other, either through a raised hand or thumbs up. The most common greeting is "Jambo?" ("How are you?"), which is generally said immediately prior to the handshake. Greetings often include inquiries about health and family members.

Lamu Island is located just off the coast of Kenya. It is home to Lamu Old Town, Kenya's oldest constantly occupied settlement - its origins date all the way back to the 12th century. Cars are banned on the island, and there aren't any roads that could accommodate vehicles. To get around, residents walk, take a boat, or use donkeys if they have items to transport.

A part of the Lake Victoria, the world's second largest freshwater lake, flows through Kenya. The country shares the lake with Tanzania and Uganda. Curious what is the largest freshwater lake in the world? It's Lake Superior in North America.

A good portion of land in Kenya is covered by a mass of water. Apart from the Indian Ocean at the coast, Kenya has several lakes, both freshwater and salty. The country also has many rivers, making it possible for visitors to travel by boats instead of cars.

Kenyan men can have more than one wife if they want to.

Dowries are still traditional in Kenya. The groom's parents must pay a dowry to the bride's family, otherwise their son will not be able to wed his bride. Dowries start at ten cows.

Kenyans use songs, poems, and stories to pass down their culture from generation to generation.

Dancing, storytelling, and bullfighting are popular activities that Kenyans partake in for entertainment.

In Kenya, a child is generally raised by the community as a whole - not just the mom and dad. Kenyans value community and family above all else.

Education is fee for all children in Kenya, but many children do not go, as they are too busy helping their families work the land, fetch water, and other necessary tasks.

On weekends, most Kenyan youths throng city clubs to watch various sports, including football, basketball, and rugby. Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in the country.

Kenya is widely known around the world for its distance runners.

The largest overland migration in the world happens in Kenya. It is aptly called The Great Migration. It involves over 1.5 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebras. During each migration, the animals travel at least 500 miles. Of course, not all of the animals make it. Approximately 250,000 wildebeest and 30,000 zebras die during the migration due to thirst, hunger, exhaustion, and predators. There are over 3,000 lions that follow the migratory herds across the reserves.

Maasai Mara, which is located in Kenya, has one of the largest densities of lions in the world.

Visitors to the Maasai Ostrich Farm can ride an Ostrich, the largest living species of bird in the world. The farm was established in 1991. It might be good to note before getting on one of these creatures, Ostrich have a running speed of 40-60 miles per hour, making it the fastest two-legged creature on earth. 

Kenya is also home to the fastest land animal. With speeds of 75 miles per hour, the cheetah is the fastest moving animal in the world.

The "Big Five" animals can all be found running free in Kenya. These animals are rhinos, leopards, lions, buffalo, and elephants. 

Many tourists who visit the country go on safaris.

Hunting is illegal in Kenya.

Kenya's main exports include herbs and tea. They also produce a substantial amount of oil, but most of it is used within their country, or exported to some of the neighboring countries.

Kenyan's drink all of their beverages at room temperature. Many Kenyans don't own refrigerators, so they keep their food products and drinks at room temperature.

I decided to let this Kenya fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Coffee is a huge export in Kenya, but it is not consumed in the country. Kenyans believe that all of the coffee they produce should be sold outside of their country, so they drink tea instead.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Sets: CC Designs Clove with Coffee and MFT Grande Sized Love stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Paper: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Black, and SU Misty Moonlight CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Fun Stampers Journey Ribbon and Gina Marie Designs Enamel Dots