Grade 5 Social Studies Natural And Built Environments – Location . Position And Size Of Kenya Notes
Location, Position and Size of Kenya
These notes are for Social Studies — Natural & Built Environments. They explain where Kenya is, its position, and how big it is. The language is simple for 10-year-old learners in Kenya.
1. Where is Kenya?
- Kenya is a country in East Africa. It has the Indian Ocean on its southeast side. - The Equator runs right through Kenya, so part of the country is in the Northern Hemisphere and part is in the Southern Hemisphere.
2. Position — Absolute and Relative
- Absolute position: Kenya lies roughly between 5° North and 5° South (latitude) and between 34° East and 42° East (longitude). This means the Equator crosses Kenya. The capital, Nairobi, is near 1° South and 37° East.
- Relative position: Where Kenya is compared to other places:
- North: Ethiopia and South Sudan
- East: Somalia and the Indian Ocean
- West: Uganda
- South: Tanzania
- Kenya is in the continent of Africa and in the Eastern Hemisphere.
3. Size of Kenya
- Kenya's area is about 580,000 square kilometres. That is big! - To understand the size: Kenya is larger than many small countries, and it takes many hours to travel from one end to the other.
4. Why this matters
- Location helps us know the climate: being near the Equator means parts of Kenya are warm all year.
- Position tells us who our neighbours are. This is important for trade and travel.
- Size helps plan roads, schools and services because bigger countries need more things to reach people.
5. Little activities (Try these!)
- On a map of Africa, colour Kenya green and draw a red dashed line for the Equator where it crosses Kenya.
- Find Nairobi on a globe or map. Is it north or south of the Equator?
- List the five neighbours of Kenya and place them around a drawn Kenya—use arrows to show each direction.
6. Key words
Location: Where a place is.
Absolute position: Exact place using latitude and longitude.
Relative position: Where a place is compared to other places.
Equator: The line that divides Earth into North and South halves. Kenya sits on the Equator.
Remember: Kenya is in East Africa, straddles the Equator, and is about 580,000 km² in size. Use a map to see these facts for yourself!