| Nairobi, Kenya's capital, is a world-class city, and | | | | "Out of Africa"), the Kenyan Parliament buildings, |
| has some of the best facilities found in Africa. | | | | the Solar ice rink and the Watatu art gallery. |
| The name comes from the language of the Masai | | | | There are restaurants that offer foods from |
| people, which translates to "the place of cool | | | | many different cultures, not just African. There |
| waters". The city has two nicknames: 'Green City | | | | are popular places for Indian, Japanese, French, |
| in the Sun' and 'Safari Capital of the World' - the | | | | Chinese or Italian cuisines. |
| second because of the many tourists that use | | | | Life in Nairobi Today |
| Nairobi as a hub for a safari in East Africa each | | | | Nairobi is a cosmopolitan place, where you'll meet |
| year. | | | | all sorts of people. It has a lively cultural scene. |
| A Bit of Nairobi History | | | | For African standards, the city also has great |
| Nairobi started out as a railway stop that was | | | | facilities. There are shopping centers, movie |
| conveniently located between Mombasa and | | | | theatres, a busy business district, parks, |
| Kampala, in Uganda. But the high altitude made the | | | | universities and much more. Health care in Nairobi |
| region cool and there was plenty of river water | | | | is among the best in Africa. As in any large |
| nearby, so Nairobi quickly began to expand and | | | | metropolitan area, there are rich neighbourhoods |
| develop. A few years after its founding, the city | | | | (Karen and Tagata) as well as the slums of Kibera |
| replaced Mombasa as the British protectorate's | | | | and Mathare. |
| capital. The city grew quickly as British tourists | | | | The Size of Nairobi |
| came to explore the big game hunting experience. | | | | The city is around 260 square miles in size. The |
| After Kenya became an independent nation in | | | | most recent census figures put the population of |
| 1963, Nairobi remained the capital city. | | | | Nairobi at just under 3 million people, and |
| Sights in the City | | | | substantial growth puts population estimates at |
| The first and foremost destination in Nairobi is the | | | | around 15 million by the year 2020. It's definitely a |
| Nairobi National Park. Just 8km (5 miles) from the | | | | city that's about to take its place on the world |
| city center, it's the largest tourist attraction in | | | | stage. The population of Nairobi is a blended mix |
| town. It certainly makes Nairobi unique. No other | | | | of many indigenous tribes, living along with Asians |
| city can boast a park full of wild animals right | | | | and Europeans. |
| outside its borders. Take an afternoon to drive | | | | Today, Nairobi is the main business and cultural |
| through the park, or tour on foot to see rhinos, | | | | center in East Africa. After some decline in the |
| giraffes and even lions. The park is only fenced on | | | | early 1990s, it has enjoyed good economic |
| the Nairobi side, so wild animals can freely wander | | | | growth. However, there's still a huge gap between |
| in and out. | | | | rich and poor. More than half of the inhabitants live |
| Other places to see are the Nairobi National | | | | in slums. Population estimates differ between |
| Museum, Uhuru Park, the Karen Blixen Museum | | | | some 2 and 4 million people. |
| (located in the house of the famous author of | | | | |