Kenya

Population: 48.6 million
Languages: Swahili, English
 

Kenya’s landscape is diverse, from the arid north, to the tropical Indian Ocean coastline and low plains in the east rising to snow capped mountains in the west separated by the Great Rift Valley which runs the length of the country.

Kenya, a financial hub for East and Central Africa, has the largest GDP in the region, driven by exports of tea, coffee, and, until recently, cut flowers, along with a rapidly expanding tourism and telecommunications sector. Despite this, factors such as poor infrastructure mean that 40% of Kenyans still live below the poverty line.

Kenya is home to an estimated 42 different people groups, speaking 69 different languages and living in communities from extremely remote tribal villages to densely populated urban environments, including Kibera, one of the world’s largest slums.

Tanzania

Population: 55.5 million
Languages: Swahili, English
 

The United Republic of Tanzania formed with the union of the two formerly independent nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which joined in 1964. Tanzania’s population consists of over 130 tribal groups, as well as small Arab, Asian and European populations.

In the north sits Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, while world famous wildlife parks including the Ngorogoro Crater, Serengeti National Park and Gombe National Park are also situated within the nations borders. The picturesque islands of Zanzibar with its ancient Stone Town settlement lay just off the eastern coast in the Indian Ocean.

Tanzania’s economy is primarily agriculturally based, though exports of natural gas, minerals and the rare gemstone Tanzanite are growing. In the bottom 10% of the world’s economies, the nation’s extreme poverty is offset by one of Africa’s most stable governments and a relative absence of corruption.

Uganda

Population: 41.4 million
Languages: Swahili, English
 

Home to Africa’s highest mountain range and the source of the Nile River, landlocked Uganda is situated high on the East African Plateau. A significant portion of the landscape is dominated by lakes and marshlands.

Coffee bean exports account for a large portion of the economy, although increasing development in service sectors and the recent discovery of crude oil could give GDP a much-needed boost.

Officially the Republic of Uganda, the country was formed from a diverse population of tribal groups and kingdoms, and today is politically divided into 5 traditional kingdoms and over 100 districts. Crippled by a long history of civil war and rebel uprisings including the violent dictatorial reign of Idi Amin during the 1970s, Uganda is finally entering a more peaceful stage of its recent history.