that lies on the equator
, with the Indian Ocean
to its south-east. It is bordered by Tanzania
to the south, Uganda
to the west, South Sudan
to the north-west, Ethiopia
to the north and Somalia
to the north-east.
Kenya has a land area of 580,000 km2 and a population of nearly 41 million, representing 42 different peoples and cultures.
1952 Elizabeth II becomes Queen upon the death of her father George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a treehouse at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.
1952 Governor Evelyn Baring declares a state of emergency in Kenya and begins arresting hundreds of suspected leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising, including Jomo Kenyatta, the future first President of Kenya.
1953 Mau Mau leader Jomo Kenyatta is convicted by Kenya's British rulers.
1957 Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government.
1963 Kenya gains internal self-rule (Madaraka Day).
1963 Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
1964 Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta becomes the first President of the Republic of Kenya.
1973 Kenyan athlete Kip Keino defeats Jim Ryun at the first-ever professional track meet in Los Angeles, California.
1998 The United States embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya kill approximately 212 people.
1998 U.S. embassy bombings: the United States launches cruise missile attacks against alleged al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical plant in Sudan in retaliation for the August 7 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.