Eldama Ravine

Eldama Ravine
Eldama Ravine Location of Eldama Ravine
Coordinates: 0°03′N 35°43′E / 0.05°N 35.72°E / 0.05; 35.72
Country	Kenya
Province	Rift Valley Province
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)

Eldama Ravine is a Kenyan town a few miles north of the equator,geographical coordinates 0° 30' 0" North, 35° 43' 0" East. It was established as an administrative point by British colonialists and later served as a transit route for lumber harvested from surrounding forests.

It is the headquarters of Koibatek District and Eldama Ravine Constituency. Population of 18,231, it is largely an agricultural trade point producing world popular commercial rose flowers. It is fairly cosmopolitan home to more than half of Kenya's ethnic tribes.

Naming

The Eldama Ravine was first known as Shimoni due to the presence of a narrow ravine through which the Eldama Ravine River flows. Eldama, the non-English part of the name, is derived from the Maasai word ‘eldama’, which means narrow gorge.

The town was established by Nubians who worked as soldiers and transporters for the British IBEA in 1887. It became the headquarters of the Naivasha province, then under the Uganda Protectorate^[1]

References

Coordinates: 0°03′N 35°43′E / 0.050°N 35.717°E / 0.050; 35.717