Nairobi (redirected from Nyrobi)

Nairobi (nīrō`bē), city (1996 pop. 3,000,000), capital of Kenya, S Kenya, in the E African highlands. Nairobi is Kenya's largest city and its administrative, communications, and economic center. It is the trade and distribution center for a productive agricultural area specializing in coffee, tea, and cattle. The city has a large industrial complex which manufactures automobiles, food products, beverages, construction materials, cigarettes, chemicals, textiles, clothing, glass, and furniture. The city is linked by road with the rest of Kenya and by railroad with Mombasa (on the Indian Ocean coast), W Kenya, and Uganda. Although Nairobi is only 90 mi (145 km) south of the equator, it has a moderate climate, largely because of its high altitude (c.5,500 ft/1,680 m). Many tourists are attracted to Nairobi National Park, a large wildlife sanctuary on the city's outskirts, and to nearby scenic areas. Nairobi was founded in 1899 on the site of a waterhole of the pastoral Masai as a railhead camp on the Mombasa-Uganda line. In 1905 it replaced Mombasa as the capital of the British East Africa Protectorate (Kenya Colony, 1920–63). Nairobi became the center of the prosperous European-dominated highlands farming area. In the 1950s the Mau Mau insurgency flared among Kikuyu people near Nairobi; there were related disturbances in the city. Nairobi Univ., Kenyatta Univ., and several medical and technical schools are in Nairobi. The National Museum of Kenya, which has extensive collections of Kenya's prehistory and natural history, and the Sorsbie art gallery are in Nairobi. Many international organizations have their African headquarters in the area, including the United Nations Environmental Program.

---

Nairobi

City (pop., 1999: 2,143,254), capital of Kenya. It is located in south-central Kenya at an elevation of about 5,500 ft (1,680 m). Founded c. 1899 as a colonial railroad site, it became the capital of British East Africa in 1905. As a government and trade centre, it attracted many settlers from rural Kenya, making it one of the largest cities in Africa. When Kenya gained independence in 1963, it remained the capital, with its area greatly expanded by the new constitution. It is Kenya's principal commercial and industrial city, producing beverages, processed food, cigarettes, and furniture. The city exports many products via the port of Mombasa. Noted institutions and landmarks include the University of Nairobi and the National Museum of Kenya. Tourism is an important industry, with Nairobi National Park attracting many visitors.

---

Nairobi

the capital of Kenya, in the southwest at an altitude of 1650 m (5500 ft.): founded in 1899; became capital in 1905; commercial and industrial centre; the Nairobi National Park (a game reserve) is nearby. Pop.: 2 818 000 (2005 est.)

---

Nairobi 

the capital of Kenya. Situated on a plateau at an elevation of 1,700 m, Nairobi has an equatorial monsoon climate with an average July temperature of 15°C and an average March temperature of 18.7” C. The annual precipitation is 932 mm. In 1973 the city had a population of about 550,000, including suburbs, up from 267,000 in 1962. The municipal area forms a capital district with the status of a province. The city is administered by an elected council, some of whose members are appointed by the Nairobi commissioner. Founded in 1899 during the construction of the Mombasa-Kisumu railroad, the city later became the administrative center of the British colony of Kenya. From the 1920’s to the 1940’s the British colonialists used the British military base in Nairobi for the suppression of the national liberation movement in East Africa. Nairobi was one of the centers of the struggle of Kenya’s peoples against British rule. On Dec. 12, 1963, it became the capital of independent Kenya, called the Republic of Kenya since Dec. 12, 1964.

Nairobi is the center of a network of railroads and highways, and the Embakasi international airport is located 16 km southeast of the city. The main commercial and industrial center of Kenya, Nairobi has food, leather and footwear, textile, metal-working, and cement industries. Electric power is obtained from the Owens Falls hydroelectric power plant in Uganda. The Nairobi National Park is located 5 km from the city.

Since 1920 the city has been built up according to a rectangular pattern with European buildings. Architectural landmarks built since the 1950’s include the Parliament Building (1950’s), the National Theater (opened in 1952) with the adjoining Cultural Center (opened in 1960), the National University (1956), the Kenyatta Conference Center (early 1970’s), the Aga Khan Hospital, and the New Stanley and Nairobi Hilton hotels. In the eastern part of the city is the Pumwani slum district. The McMillan Memorial Library and National Museum are located in the city. A British theater, directed by D. Maule, was founded in 1948, and amateur groups give performances at the National Theater. A Drama School was established in 1968, and in 1970 the National Theater Company was formed from among its graduates.

REFERENCE

Smart, J. A Jubilee History of Nairobi. Nairobi, 1950.

---

Nairobi 

a national park, in Kenya, 5 km from the city of Nairobi. Area, 11,400 hectares. Established in 1946. There is savanna vegetation, with a predominance of thickets of prickly shrubs and several species of the acacia. The park is inhabited by lions, leopards, buffalo, zebras, antelopes (impala, common eland, gnu, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles, and common waterbuck), and giraffes; the black rhinoceros is rare. Birds include the ostrich, gom-paauw, and secretary bird.