Nakuru
Nakuru County is home to Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha some of the Rift Valley soda lakes. Lake Nakuru is best known for its thousands, sometimes millions of flamingos nesting along the shores.
The surface of the shallow lake is often hardly recognizable due to the continually shifting mass of pink. The number of flamingos on the lake varies with water and food conditions and the best vantage point is from Baboon cliff.
Also of interest, an area of 188 km around the lake fenced off as a sanctuary to protect Rothschild giraffe and black rhinos.
Other sites of interest around Nakuru include Menengai Crater, an extinct volcano 2,490m (8,167 ft) high. The views of the crater itself, as well as the surrounding countryside, are spectacular.
Hyrax Hill Prehistoric Site, discovered by the Leakeys in 1926, is considered a major Neolithic and Iron Age site. The adjoining museum features finds from various nearby excavations.
The second largest surviving volcanic crater in the world, the Menengai Crater is 2,242 meters above sea level at its highest point. The crater plunges 483 m down from the rim and the summit is accessible by foot or vehicle 8 km from the main road. The mountain is also surrounded by a nature reserve.
Nakuru town is located 160 km North-West of Nairobi – Kenya's capital; and is the fourth largest urban center in Kenya after Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.
It is situated at an altitude of 1840m above the sea level and it is within the region of the Great Rift Valley whose formation gave rise to a unique natural structure.
Nakuru town is sandwiched between Lake Nakuru National Park to the south and the Menengai crater and its associated volcanic landscapes to the North. Further to the North East of the town is the Bahati Escarpment forming the western fringe of the Aberdares Escarpment.
Nakuru lies between latitudes 0° 10' and 0° 20' and longitudes 36° and 36° 10'; some 1840 meters above sea level, and with a temperate climate averaging about 28° C.
Located in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya, about 165km from Nairobi, Nakuru is an agriculturally-rich county blessed with various tourist attractions such as craters and lakes.
Nakuru borders seven counties; Laikipia to the north east, Kericho to the west, Narok to the south west, Kajiado to the south, Baringo to the north, Nyandarua to the east and Bomet to the west.
It covers an area of 7496.5 square kilometers. The name Nakuru means 'a dusty place' in the Maasai language - in reference to frequent whirlwinds that engulf the area with clouds of dust.
Nakuru County is home to 1, 603, 325 people (male - 50.2% and female - 49.8%), according to the 2009 National Census. It is a cosmopolitan county, with its population originating from all the major tribes of Kenya.
The Kikuyu and the Kalenjin are the dominant communities in Nakuru, making about 70% of the county’s population. Both communities are mainly engaged in farming, livestock rearing and trade business.
Other communities such as Luo, Luhyia, Kamba, Meru and Kisii are also present in Nakuru County especially in the urban centres. Majority of these people migrated here for business and employment. The government is the main employer in the county.
| Languages spoken | English, Kiswahili, Kikuyu,Kalenjin |
|---|---|
| Currency used | Kenya Shillings |
| Area (km2) | 7,510 km² |
| Country name | Kenya |
