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.
AT-A-GLANCE
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, the office of president looks likely to be reduced to a nominal role, with the PM taking charge of the day-to-day running of the country.
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.
Raila Odinga claimed the presidency, but in the end settled for new post of premier Profile: Raila Odinga
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.
Kenya enjoys a more diverse and liberalised media scene than many other African countries, with a large middle class providing a base for substantial advertising revenue. But some incidents in recent years have alarmed observers.
In March 2006 armed police, acting on government orders, stormed the offices and presses of the Standard media group.
Kenya has one of Africa's liveliest media landscapes 2009: Kenyan "media gag" law approved
Amid the violence that followed disputed elections in late 2007, the authorities imposed a ban some live broadcast output.
In early 2009, media outlets condemned President Kibaki's decision to approve changes to the media law, which they said would limit press freedom. The amended legislation gave officials the power to control broadcast content on grounds of national security.
The print media are dominated by two publishing houses, the Nation and Standard. Both have substantial broadcasting operations.
Most Kenyans rely on the broadcast media, particularly radio, for news. Until recently the liberalisation of broadcasting had a limited impact outside Nairobi but some private networks now have wide coverage of much of the country. TV viewing is substantial, but few Kenyans are regular internet users, owing to cost and access problems.
Full-time FM relays of the BBC World Service are on the air in Nairobi (93.9), Mombasa (93.9) and Kisumu (88.1), and some BBC programmes are also rebroadcast by private Kameme FM. The Voice of America has an FM relay in Nairobi and Radio France Internationale is relayed on FM in Mombasa.
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