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East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easternmost region of the African continent,
variably defined by geography or geopolitics.
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Some parts of East Africa have been renowned for their concentrations of wild animals, such as
the "big five" of elephant, water buffalo, lion, leopard and rhinoceros, though populations
have been declining under increased stress in recent times, particularly the rhino and elephant.
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The geography of East Africa is often stunning and scenic. Shaped by global plate tectonic
forces that have created the Great Rift Valley, East Africa is the site of Kilimanjaro and
Mount Kenya, the two tallest peaks in Africa. It also includes the world's second largest
freshwater lake Lake Victoria, and the world's second deepest lake Lake Tanganyika.
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The unique geography and apparent suitability for farming made East Africa a an idle destination
for European exploration, in the nineteenth century. Today, tourism is an important part of
the economies of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
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