Naivasha
Naivasha is a large town in Nakuru County, Kenya, lying 92.8 km (57.7 mi) by road north west of Nairobi.
Naivasha | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Naivasha Location in Kenya | |
| Coordinates: 0°43′S 36°26′E | |
| Country |  Kenya |
| County | Nakuru County |
| Elevation | 2,086 m (6,843 ft) |
| Population (2019) | |
| • Total | 198,444[2] |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Overview
The town has a total population of 198,444 (2019 census).[2]
The main industry is agriculture, especially floriculture.
Naivasha is also a popular tourist destination. Hell's Gate National Park (the main locations for The Lion King, including Pride Rock and the Gorge, are modelled after the park[3]), Mount Longonot National Park and Mount Longonot are nearby attractions. Tours also have included Lake Naivasha, to observe birdlife and hippopotamus behaviour, [4] as well as other wild animals.
In the late 1970s–1980s Lake Naivasha was overrun with poachers and foreign creatures introduced into the lake to provide fishing. The migratory paths along lake Naivasha were being destroyed by the local rose industry. The naturalist Joan Root (1936–2006), spent the last decade of her life trying to save the lake and its wildlife.
A resort in Naivasha was the location for much of the negotiations of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement ending the Second Sudanese Civil War, commonly known as the "Naivasha Agreement".
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 6,920 | — |
| 1979 | 11,491 | +66.1% |
| 1999 | 32,222 | +180.4% |
| 2009 | 91,898 | +185.2% |
| 2019 | 198,444 | +115.9% |
| source:[5] | ||
The town is home to the Isahakia community, descendants of Isaaq soldiers and traders that settled in Kenya in the 1900s.[6][7]
Transport
Naivasha is located on the shore of Lake Naivasha along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway (A104 road) and the Uganda Railway. In 2015, an extension of the new standard gauge railway to this town was approved.[8]
See also
- Lake Naivasha Country Club – historic site in the area.
References
- "Geographic coordinates of Naivasha, Kenya. Latitude, longitude, and elevation above sea level of Naivasha". dateandtime.info. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "2009 Census Vol 1 Table 3 Rural and Urban Population | Open Data Portal". opendata.go.ke. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "The Lion King (1994) - Trivia - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- "Lake Naivasha Country Club" (wildlife, map, photos), Go2Africa, 2003, go2africa.com webpage: Nav.
- Naivasha population statistics
- "Kenya:The Story of a Fourth Generation Isahakia Community in Naivasha Kenya from Somaliland". www.horndiplomat.com. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- "Government to recognize the Isahakia community as Kenyans". 29 October 2016.
|first=missing|last=(help) - "Kenya Std Gauge To Be Extended | Railways Africa". railwaysafrica.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
