Quick answerNakuru is a city in Kenya, with 570,674 people inside the city limits in 2019. It is best known for the Lake Nakuru flamingos, the Menengai Crater and the Hyrax Hill. Its official languages are English and Swahili, and its currency is the Kenyan shilling.
Nakuru is Kenya's fourth-largest urban centre, with about 571,000 people in the 2019 census. It stands in the Great Rift Valley on the shore of Lake Nakuru and is famous for its flamingos and the Menengai Crater.
Key facts
| Country | Kenya |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 570,674 (2019) |
| Elevation | 1850 m above sea level |
| Time zone | Africa/Nairobi |
| Language | English, Swahili |
| Currency | Kenyan shilling (KES, KSh) |
| Coordinates | 0.3° S, 36.067° E |
Overview
Nakuru is Kenya's fourth-largest urban centre, in the Great Rift Valley in the centre of the country. The urban area had 570,674 people in the 2019 census, while the municipality itself had 367,183, and the city stands at 1,850 metres above sea level on the shore of Lake Nakuru.
Nakuru was founded in 1904 as a railway town on the line from Mombasa to Uganda, and it grew as a farming and market centre for the Rift Valley. On 1 December 2021 it received a city charter, becoming Kenya's fourth city, after Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.
The city is best known for Lake Nakuru National Park, whose shallow alkaline waters draw great flocks of flamingos, and for the Menengai Crater, one of the largest volcanic craters in the world, looming over the town. Hyrax Hill, a prehistoric site on the edge of the city, holds remains from the Neolithic and Iron Age.
What Nakuru is known for
- Lake Nakuru flamingos
- Menengai Crater
- Hyrax Hill
- Rift Valley gateway
Landmarks
- Lake Nakuru National Park
- Menengai Crater
- Hyrax Hill Prehistoric Site
- Lord Egerton Castle
- Kariandusi Prehistoric Site
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Nakuru?
About 571,000 people live in the Nakuru urban area (570,674 in the 2019 census), with about 367,000 in the municipality itself. That makes Nakuru Kenya's fourth-largest urban centre, after Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, and the main city of the Rift Valley.
What is Nakuru famous for?
Nakuru is famous for Lake Nakuru, whose shallow waters draw great flocks of flamingos, and for the Menengai Crater, one of the largest volcanic craters in the world. It became Kenya's fourth city on 1 December 2021, after Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.
Where is Nakuru located?
Nakuru is in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, about 160 kilometres north-west of Nairobi, on the shore of Lake Nakuru. It stands at 1,850 metres above sea level. Its coordinates are 0.30° S, 36.07° E, in the heart of the Rift Valley.
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Keep exploring
- Kenya — the country Nakuru is in
- Nairobi — another city in Kenya
- Mombasa — another city in Kenya
- Kisumu — another city in Kenya
- All cities in Kenya
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.