EAST AFRICA

The countries in the region of Africa I visited, East Africa, include: Kenya, Tanzania, Tanganyika, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda.

LANDSCAPE AND CLIMATE PATTERNS

• Countries in East Africa had mostly hot and dry climates.
• Interior plains were hot and dry.
• Savannas had a hot, humid, and tropical climate.
• Coastal lowlands were quite humid.
• East Africa also has fertile interior highlands, plains, and steppes.

NATURAL RESOURCES AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

• Some of East Africa’s natural resources I saw include coal, natural gas, petroleum, precious metals, minerals, oil, and uranium.
• The main economic activities in East Africa include agriculture (subsistence farming and cash-crop farming), and the raising and trading of livestock
• Kenya’s wildlife parks serve as a source of money through tourists

RIVERS AND LANDFORMS

• The Great Rift Valley was very beautiful and had steep, wall-like cliffs
• The Masai Steppe was a grassland and had lots of acacia trees and wildlife.
• Mt. Kilimanjaro towered over me. I couldn’t even see the top; it was covered by clouds
• Serengeti Plain was a huge grassland with almost no trees.
• The East African Lakes were also beautiful, and some empty into rivers

ACTIVITIES

• I went on an 8 day camping trip through Tanzania
• I went on a horse-riding tour up Mt. Kenya
• I played a game of soccer in Kenya
• I listened to stories of people in Somalia

DIFFICULTIES

• I dealt with some violent crime. I was mugged. My watch and money were stolen.
• There were a lot of insects, such as wasps, that stung or bit me. This was a painful and unenjoyable part of mu trip.
• I didn’t bring warm enough clothes for the hike up Mt. Kenya, so I ended up catching a bad cold.
• In Tanzania I caught a disease that some people informed me is spread by tsetse flies. Thankfully, I made a full recovery.

INCREDIBLE SIGHTS

• The Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya was an amazing safari destination. I saw tons of wildlife, and seeing those beautiful creatures was a great experience.
• The gigantic Mount Kilimanjaro was a sight to see indeed.
• The flamingo population of Lake Nakuru is spectacular.
• The stunning bays and beaches of peaceful Watamu, Kenyan beach town

“Natural Resources .” East Africa, Weebly, Https://come2eastafricaxd.weebly.com/natural-resources.html.
Sylvester, Phil. “5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Going to Kenya.” World Nomads, World Nomads, 1 July 2015, www.worldnomads.com/explore/africa/kenya/5-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-goin....
Zijlma, Anouk. “A Top Ten List of East Africa's Best Travel Destinations.” Tripsavvy, Tripsavvy, 30 July 2017, www.tripsavvy.com/east-africas-best-travel-destinations-1454166.