Thika
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thika is a market town in Central Province, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 40 km north east of Nairobi, and on the Thika River. Thika has a population of 88,265 (1999 census)[1] and is growing rapidly, like the entire greater Nairobi area. The elevation of Thika is 1531 meters (5026 feet) in altitude.[2]
Thika, Kenya is home to the Chania Falls and the Thika Falls, while Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park lies to its south east. The town has a railway station, but there is only limited passenger service. The town is headquarters of the Thika District. The district is the prime pineapple-growing region in Kenya.
Thika is close to "Fourteen Falls" which is a popular picnic site.
Thika was formerly a center for light industry, but the focus has shifted to the Athi River. The decline of the textile industry has hit local firms, including Thika Cloth Mills (TCM), which is a cotton to fabric manufacturer that competes against Egyptian & Chinese manufacturers.
The Flame Trees of Thika (Memories of an African Childhood) is a book by Elspeth Huxley, later adapted for television by the BBC. It describes the life of English settlers in the "White Highlands" in Edwardian times. A flame tree turns entirely reddish orange in June each year, depending on the previous rainfall.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Population of Local Authorities" (with towns), Government of Kenya, 1999, webpage: GovtKenya-Population-PDF.
- ^ "Thika, Kenya Page" (statistics), Falling Rain Genomics, Inc., 2004, FallingRain.com webpage: FallingRainCom-Thika.
[edit] External links
- Thika Online - Making Thika Accessible: ThikaOnline.com, 2005.
 |
This Kenya location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
