Marsabit

Marsabit
Town
The Marsabit-Moyale road.
Marsabit Location in Kenya.
Coordinates: 2°20′00″N 37°59′00″E / 2.33333°N 37.98333°E / 2.33333; 37.98333Coordinates: 2°20′00″N 37°59′00″E / 2.33333°N 37.98333°E / 2.33333; 37.98333
Country	Kenya
County	Marsabit County
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)

Marsabit is a town in the northern Marsabit County in Kenya. It is situated in the former Eastern Province and is almost surrounded by the Marsabit National Park and Marsabit National Reserve. The town is located 170 km east of the center of the East African Rift, at 37°58' E, 2°19' N (37.97°E, 2.32 N). It serves as the capital of Marsabit County, and lies southeast of the Chalbi Desert in a forested area known for its volcanoes and crater lakes and others.

The town of Marsabit is an outpost of urban civilization in the vast desert of northern Kenya. The town is situated on an isolated extinct volcano, Mount Marsabit, which rises almost a kilometer above the desert. The hills here are heavily forested, in contrast to the desert beyond, with their own "insular" eco-system. The town currently has a population of about 5,000.

The town is mainly inhabited by the Cushitic-speaking Borana, Burji, Gabbra and Rendille. There are also some Nilotic Turkana and Bantu Ameru residents. Additionally, there are a few Somali traders.

Marsabit has an airstrip and a mountain peak (Mount Marsabit), with "singing" wells just outside the town. Elephants can also often be seen in the local wildlife refuge that surrounds the town, occasionally breaking down fences and causing damage to local farmers crop beds.