2011

January

 * officially adopts the currency and becomes the 17th  country.
 * as in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people.
 * – n street vendor dies after  a month earlier, sparking anti-government protests in Tunisia and later other . These protests become known collectively as the.
 * – – holds a . The Sudanese electorate votes in favour of independence, paving the way for the creation of the new state in July.
 * January 9 – crashes near Orumiyeh in the northeast of the country, killing 77 people.
 * – The n government falls after a month of increasingly violent protests;  flees to  after 23 years in power.
 * – 37 people are killed and more than 180 others wounded in at  in Moscow, Russia.
 * – 37 people are killed and more than 180 others wounded in at  in Moscow, Russia.

February

 * –  resigns after  calling for his departure, leaving control of Egypt in the hands of the  until a general election can be held.
 * – The starts.
 * – – Uncertainty over Libyan oil output causes  prices to rise 20% over a two-week period following the Arab Spring, causing the 2011 energy crisis.
 * – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes, . Over 180 people were killed, many within the , including a large number of foreign citizens. A large number of foreign search and rescue workers responded to the event.

March

 * – is triggered when 15 youths in  are arrested for scrawling graffiti on their school wall denouncing the regime of President.
 * – A 9.0-magnitude hit the east of Japan, killing 15,840 and leaving another 3,926 missing. Tsunami warnings are issued in 50 countries and territories.  are declared at four nuclear power plants affected by the quake.
 * ,, declares a three-month as troops from the  are sent to quell the.
 * demanding democratic reforms, resignation of President, and release of those imprisoned for the March 6 Daraa protest. The government responds by killing hundreds of protesters and laying siege to various cities, beginning the.
 * – The votes 10–0 to create a  over Libya in response to allegations of government aggression against civilians.
 * – In light of continuing attacks on Libyan rebels by forces in support of leader, military intervention authorized under begins as French fighter jets make reconnaissance flights over Libya.
 * – In light of continuing attacks on Libyan rebels by forces in support of leader, military intervention authorized under begins as French fighter jets make reconnaissance flights over Libya.

April

 * – wins the.
 * – Former  is arrested in his home in  by supporters of elected President, with support from French forces; this effectively ends the  and.
 * – The town of  is taken over by vigilantes in response to abuses from the local drug cartel. The new government is strongly focused on crime reduction and preserving the local environment.
 * – – The forms in the,  and  with a  count of 362; killing 324 and injuring over 2,200.
 * – An estimated two billion people watch the of  and  at  in London.

May

 * – U.S. President announces that, the founder and leader of the militant group , was  on May 2, 2011  during an American military operation in.
 * – The European Union agrees to a €78 billion rescue deal for Portugal. The bailout loan will be equally split between the, the , and the.
 * –, Iceland's most active volcano, erupts and causes disruption to air travel in Northwestern Europe.
 * – The, an EF5 , strikes , killing 158 and injuring 1,150.
 * – Former n Army commander, wanted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, is arrested in.

June

 * – Chile's, causing air traffic cancellations across South America, New Zealand and Australia, and forcing over 3,000 people to evacuate.
 * – – The  takes place in  and is won by.
 * – The announces the eradication of the cattle plague  from the world.

July

 * – secedes from, per the result of the  held in January.
 * – The planet completes its first orbit since it was discovered in 1846.
 * – joins the  as the 193rd member.
 * is detained in Serbia, becoming the last of 161 people indicted by the.
 * The declares a  in southern, the first in over 30 years.
 * – lands successfully at  after completing, concluding NASA's  program.
 * – In, kills 8 people in a bomb blast which targeted government buildings in central Oslo, then kills 69 at a massacre at a  camp on the island of.
 * – In over 12.8 million people are affected by . The  estimates damages at 1,440 billion  (US$45 billion). Some areas are still six feet under water, and many factory areas remain closed at the end of the year. 815 people are killed, with 58 of the country's 77 provinces affected.
 * – In over 12.8 million people are affected by . The  estimates damages at 1,440 billion  (US$45 billion). Some areas are still six feet under water, and many factory areas remain closed at the end of the year. 815 people are killed, with 58 of the country's 77 provinces affected.

August

 * August – s worldwide due to the fears of contagion of the  and the credit rating downgraded as a result of the.
 * NASA announces that its has captured  of possible liquid  during warm seasons.
 * , the first spacecraft on a mission to, is launched from.
 * – – Libyan rebels, effectively overthrowing the government of.
 * – – Libyan rebels, effectively overthrowing the government of.

September

 * – India and sign a pact to end their 40-year.
 * – The off the coast of, killing 240 people.
 * – Approximately 100 people die after in.
 * –  protests begin in the United States. This develops into the  which spreads to 82 countries by October.
 * – With 434 dead, the United Nations launches a $357 million appeal for victims of the in.

October

 * – The death toll from the flooding of 's river and attendant flash floods reaches 207.
 * – : and the  militant organization  begin a major prisoner exchange, in which the captured  soldier  is released by Hamas in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian and  prisoners held in Israel, including 280 prisoners serving life sentences for planning and perpetrating terror attacks.
 * Libyan leader is  in, with   and ending the war.
 * militant organisation declares an end to its 43-year campaign of political violence, which has killed over 800 people since 1968.
 * – A magnitude 7.2 Mw jolts eastern Turkey near the city of, killing over 600 people and damaging about 2,200 buildings.
 * – After an emergency meeting in Brussels, the European Union announces an agreement to tackle the which includes a  of 50% of Greek bonds, a recapitalisation of European banks and an increase of the bailout fund of the  totaling to €1 trillion.
 * Date selected by the UN as the symbolic date when global population.
 * admits as a member, following a vote which 107 member states support and 14 oppose.
 * Date selected by the UN as the symbolic date when global population.
 * admits as a member, following a vote which 107 member states support and 14 oppose.

November

 * – The rover, the most elaborate Martian exploration vehicle to date, is launched from the . It lands on  on ,.
 * – The United Kingdom with Iran and expels diplomats, less than 24 hours after.

December

 * – The United States formally declares an to the . While this ends the, it begins.
 * – causes 1,268  fatalities in the, with 85 people officially listed as missing.
 * – and  move from east to west of the, thereby skipping December 30, in order to align their time zones better with their main trading partners.