Situated on the equator on Africa's east coast, Kenya has been described as "the cradle of humanity".
In the Great Rift Valley palaeontologists have discovered some of the earliest evidence of man's ancestors.
In the present day, Kenya's ethnic diversity has produced a vibrant culture but is also a source of conflict.
After independence from Britain in 1963, politics was dominated by the charismatic Jomo Kenyatta. He was succeeded in 1978 by Daniel arap Moi, who remained in power for 24 years. The ruling Kenya African National Union, Kanu, was the only legal political party for much of the 1980s.
Violent unrest - and international pressure - led to the restoration of multi-party politics in the early 1990s. But it was to be another decade before opposition candidate Mwai Kibaki ended nearly 40 years of Kanu rule with his landslide victory in 2002's general election.
Despite President Kibaki's pledge to tackle corruption, some donors estimated that up to $1bn had been lost to graft between 2002 and 2005.
Other pressing challenges include high unemployment, crime and poverty; most Kenyans live below the poverty level of $1 a day. Droughts frequently put millions of people at risk.
Kenya has been a leading light in the Somali and Sudanese peace processes.
With its scenic beauty and abundant wildlife, Kenya is one of Africa's major safari destinations.
The lucrative tourist industry has bounced back following the slump that followed bomb attacks in Nairobi in 1998 and Mombasa in 2002. And in 2006 tourism was the country's best hard currency earner, ahead of horticulture and tea.
President: Mwai Kibaki
Political veteran Mwai Kibaki entered into a power-sharing deal with rival Raila Odinga after they both claimed to have won the December 2007 presidential election.
Shortly after the election Mr Kibaki was sworn in for a second term in office, prompting a wave of unrest across the country.
Months of negotiations resulted in a coalition cabinet, which was sworn into office in April 2008.
Under a draft constitution published in November 2009 as part of the peace deal and approved by voters in August 2010, the powers of the president are to be reduced.
Mr Kibaki first came to power when he won a landslide election victory in December 2002, promising to fight endemic corruption and to address Kenya's economic woes.
His election victory marked the end of almost 40 years of Kanu party rule, and it was third time lucky for Mr Kibaki, who lost two elections in the 1990s. The constitution barred his predecessor, Daniel arap Moi, from standing. Mr Kibaki's National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) won a parliamentary majority.
Economic recovery has accompanied Mr Kibaki's leadership. Economic growth in 2006 was 6.1%, compared with 0.6% when he took over.
But despite the tough talk about graft, his government became mired in a major corruption scandal that implicated former and current ministers in an alleged scam involving shadowy deals and large sums of public money.
The president was thwarted over another key policy when voters rejected a proposed new constitution in 2005. Mr Kibaki had portrayed it as modernising measure; critics said the charter left too much power in his hands.
A respected economist, Mwai Kibaki served as finance minister and vice president in the 1970s and 1980s. He left Kanu in 1991 and founded the Democratic Party.
Mwai Kibaki was born in 1931 and hails from Kenya's largest tribe, the Kikuyu. He studied in Uganda and Britain before joining the push for Kenya's independence in the 1960s. He became an MP in 1963.
Prime Minister: Raila Odinga
Opposition leader Raila Odinga was sworn in as prime minister in April 2008, fulfilling a key step in a power-sharing deal aimed at ending a violent political crisis.
Some 1,500 people died in fighting and 300,000 were displaced following the elections in the previous December, which both Mr Odinga and President Kibaki claimed to have won.
With the violence escalating, the rivals agreed in February to share power - but then wrangled for weeks over how to divide up their coalition cabinet.
Eventually 40 cabinet ministers took up their positions, 20 each from both camps. Mr Kibaki's Party of National Unity retained the key finance and internal security ministries.
However, cracks soon appeared in the new power-sharing arrangements, with Mr Odinga accusing Mr Kibaki of undermining the coalition deal and bypassing ministers from his Orange Democratic Movement in decision-making.
In April 2009, he announced a boycott of cabinet meetings amid a further dispute over control of the influential committee that sets parliament's legislative agenda.
The coalition came under further strain in February 2010, when President Kibaki thwarted an attempt by Mr Odinga to suspend two cabinet ministers over alleged corruption.
Under the new constitution approved by voters in August 2010, the position of prime minister is set to be abolished.
A chronology of key events:
Evidence of some of the earliest human settlements has been found in Kenya, suggesting that it was the cradle of humanity from which descendents moved out to populate the world.
600 - Arabs begin settling coastal areas, over the centuries developing trading stations which facilitated contact with the Arab world, Persia and India.
16th century - Portuguese try to establish foothold on Kenyan coast but are driven off by Swahili states and Omani Arabs by late 17th century.
1830s - Omani Arabs consolidate control of coast.
1895 - Formation of British East African Protectorate.
Early 1900s - White settlers move into highlands, railway built from Mombasa to Lake Victoria.
1920 - East African Protectorate becomes crown colony of Kenya - administered by a British governor.
Mau Mau
1944 - Kenyan African Union (KAU) formed to campaign for African independence. First African appointment to legislative council.
1947 - Jomo Kenyatta becomes KAU leader.
1952 - Secret Kikuyu guerrilla group known as Mau Mau begins violent campaign against white settlers. State of emergency declared. Kenyatta arrested.
1953 - Kenyatta charged with management of Mau Mau and jailed. KAU banned.
1956 - Mau Mau rebellion put down after thousands killed - mainly Africans.
1959 - Kenyatta released from jail but under house arrest.
1960 - State of emergency ends. Britain announces plans to prepare Kenya for majority African rule. Kenya African national Union (Kanu) formed by Tom Mboya and Oginga Odinga.
Independence
1961 - Kenyatta freed and assumes presidency of Kanu.
1963 - Kenya gains independence, with Kenyatta as prime minister.
1964 - Republic of Kenya formed. Kenyatta becomes president and Odinga vice-president.
1966 - Odinga, a Luo, leaves Kanu after ideological split, forms rival Kenya People's Union (KPU).
1969 - Assassination of government minister Tom Mboya sparks ethnic unrest. KPU banned and Odinga arrested. Kanu only party to contest elections.
1974 - Kenyatta re-elected.
Moi era begins
1978 - Kenyatta dies in office, succeeded by Vice-President Daniel arap Moi.
1982 June - Kenya officially declared a one-party state by National Assembly.
1982 August - Army suppresses air force coup attempt. Private Hezekiah Ochuka rules for about six hours.
1987 - Opposition groups suppressed. International criticism of political arrests and human rights abuses.
1989 - Political prisoners freed.
1990 - Death of the foreign minister, Robert Ouko, in suspicious circumstances leads to increased dissent against government.
Multi-party elections
1991 August - Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (Ford) formed by six opposition leaders, including Oginga Odinga. Party outlawed and members arrested. Creditors suspend aid to Kenya amid fierce international condemnation.
1991 December - Special conference of Kanu agrees to introduce a multi-party political system.
1992 - Approximately 2,000 people killed in tribal conflict in the west of the country.
1992 August - Ford splits into two factions - Ford-Asili (led by ex-government minister Kenneth Matiba) and Ford-Kenya (led by Odinga).
1992 December - Moi re-elected in multi-party elections. Kanu wins strong majority.
1994 - Odinga dies. Opposition groups form coalition - the United National Democratic Alliance - but it is plagued by disagreements.
1995 - New opposition party - Safina - launched by palaeontologist Richard Leakey. Party refused official registration until November 1997.
1997 - Demonstrations calling for democratic reform. World Bank withholds disbursement of $5bn in structural adjustment credit.
1997 December - Moi wins further term in widely-criticised elections. His main opponents are former vice-president Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, son of Oginga Odinga.
Embassy bomb
1998 August - Bomb explodes at US embassy in Nairobi, killing 224 people and injuring thousands.
1999 - Moi appoints Richard Leakey to head government drive against corruption.
2001 April - Leakey appears in court to face charges of abuse of power and perverting the course of justice.
2001 June - Parliament passes a law allowing the import and manufacture of cheap copies of anti-Aids drugs.
2001 - Ethnic tensions culminate in several violent clashes. In December thousands flee and several people are killed in rent battles involving Nubian and Luo communities in Nairobi's Kibera slum district.
2002 July - Some 200 Maasai and Samburu tribespeople accept more than $7m in compensation from the British Ministry of Defence. The tribespeople had been bereaved or maimed by British Army explosives left on their land over the last 50 years.
2002 November - Terror attack on Israeli-owned hotel near Mombasa kills 10 Kenyans and injures three Israelis. A simultaneous rocket attack on an Israeli airliner fails. A statement - purportedly from al-Qaeda - claims responsibility.
Kibaki victory
2002 December - Elections. Mwai Kibaki wins a landslide victory, ending Daniel arap Moi's 24-year rule and Kanu's four decades in power.
2003 January - Government bill proposes anti-corruption commission. Moi critic John Githongo appointed anti-graft czar.
2003 November - International Monetary Fund (IMF) resumes lending after three-year gap, citing anti-corruption measures.
2003 December - Government decides to grant former president Daniel arap Moi immunity from prosecution on corruption charges.
2004 March-July - Long-awaited draft of new constitution completed. Document requires parliament's approval and proposes curbing president's powers and creating post of prime minister. But deadline for enactment is missed.
2004 July-August - Food crisis, caused by crop failures and drought, dubbed "national disaster" by President Kibaki. UN launches aid appeal for vulnerable rural Kenyans.
2004 October - Kenyan ecologist Wangari Maathai wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
Controversy over jail conditions amid intense media coverage of inmate deaths at Meru jail in the east.
2005 January - Clashes over land and water rights leave more than 40 people dead.
2005 February - Corruption takes centre stage when it is claimed that graft has cost Kenya $1bn under Kibaki. Leading anti-graft official John Githongo resigns. International donors voice unease.
2005 July - Parliament approves a draft constitution after days of violent protests in Nairobi over aspects of the draft which demonstrators say give too much power to in the president's hands.
Constitution spurned
2005 November-December - Voters reject a proposed new constitution in what is seen as a protest against President Kibaki. The president replaces his cabinet; some nominees reject their appointments.
2006 January - Government says four million people in the north need food aid because of a drought which the president calls a "national disaster".
2006 January-February - Government ministers are linked to a corruption scandal involving contracts for a phantom company, Anglo Leasing. One of them, Finance Minister David Mwiraria, resigns and says allegations against him are false.
2006 March - Armed police, acting on government orders, raid the offices and presses of the Standard group, one of Kenya's leading media companies.
2006 April - Three days of national mourning are declared after an aircraft carrying several prominent politicians crashes in the north.
2006 April - Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao signs a contract allowing China to prospect for oil off the Kenyan coast. His African tour has focused on trying to satisfy China's hunger for energy and raw materials.
Somali refugees
2006 October - UN says some 35,000 Somalis escaping drought, Islamist rule and looming conflict have arrived in Kenyan camps since early 2006.
2006 November - December - Regional flooding renders thousands homeless. Some 100,000 Somali refugees cut off by floodwaters in the north-east are supplied by air drops.
2007 May - A Kenya Airways plane crashes in Cameroon, killing all 114 on board. An official investigation finds pilot error was to blame.
2007 December - Disputed presidential elections lead to violence in which more than 1,500 die.
The government and opposition come to a power-sharing agreement in February and a cabinet is agreed in April.
2008 October - Report into post-election clashes calls for international tribunal to try those implicated in violence. Many political leaders are reluctant to implement the commission of inquiry's recommendations, with some arguing that prosecutions could trigger further clashes between communities.
2008 December - Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) accuses seven current and former MPs of taking illegal allowances worth $250,000.
2009 August - Visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticises Kenya for failing to investigate the deadly violence after the 2007 election.
Kenya says that at least 10 million people, or one third of the population, are in need of food aid. The government mobilises the military to distribute food, water and medicines to areas hit hardest by drought.
2009 October - The government says it will co-operate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to try key suspects in post-election violence.
Constitution approved
2010 January - The US suspends $7m of funding for free primary schools in Kenya until fraud allegations are investigated.
2010 February - President Kibaki overturns a decision by Prime Minister Odinga to suspend the country's agriculture and education ministers over alleged corruption. The row threatens the coalition government.
2010 July - Kenya joins its neighbours in forming a new East African Common Market, intended to integrate the region's economy.
2010 August - New constitution designed to limit the powers of the president and devolve power to the regions approved in referendum.
Controversy over release of national census figures that include tribal affiliations.
