Kenya: Flag and Facts
Kenya's flag has black, red, and green horizontal bands with thin white edges around the red, and a Maasai warrior's shield over two crossed spears in the center.
- Official name
- Republic of Kenya
- Capital
- Nairobi
- Region
- Eastern Africa
- Population
- 56 million (2025)
- Languages
- English, Swahili
- Currency
- Kenyan shilling
- Area
- 580,367 km² (224,081 sq mi)
- People
- Kenyan
- Calling code
- +254
- Highest point
- Mount Kenya 5,199 m
- Independence
- 12 December 1963 (from the UK)
- National symbols
- lion
- Borders
- Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
About Kenya
Black represents the majority of the people, red the blood lost fighting for freedom, green the land's natural wealth, and white peace. The shield and spears stand for defending that freedom.
Coastal trade towns like Mombasa have dealt with China, India, Persia, and the Middle East since at least the 2nd century. Africans, Arabs, and Persians mixing along this coast formed the Swahili people, with their own language and culture, by around the 9th century. Portuguese traders showed up in the 1490s, and forces from Oman and Pate drove them away in the late 1600s. Britain made the region a protectorate in 1895 and a colony in 1920, naming it after Mount Kenya. The Mau Mau Uprising began in 1952, and independence followed on 12 December 1963, with Jomo Kenyatta as founding president. The Great Rift Valley slices through the central highlands.
Did you know?
- Mount Kenya, the country's namesake, stands 5,199 m tall.
- Kenyans celebrate Jamhuri Day on 12 December each year.
- Kenya is five times the size of Ohio.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Kenya
What languages are spoken in Kenya?
English and Swahili are Kenya's official languages.
What is the capital of Kenya?
Nairobi is the capital, with about 5.3 million people in 2023. Mombasa is second.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.